MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. The State Duma intends to build up relations with foreign counterparts during the spring session based on a relevant order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday during his speech at the first plenary session.
"During the spring session, there is a lot of work to be done with our colleagues abroad at the parliamentary level. For the State Duma, this is the implementation of the objectives set out by the Russian president. It is about building relations with key partners at a new level," Volodin said.
The State Duma speaker also announced the plans of Duma members for the spring session. He said that the legislators have scheduled official visits to Iran and Turkmenistan until the end of January, an extended meeting of the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia in February, a working visit to Cuba in March and the international Russia-Africa parliamentary forum in March.
"In April, we will hold a conference on security and regional cooperation with the participation of China, Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. Together with our colleagues from Azerbaijan, we are planning to hold a parliamentary conference on the Caspian Sea region in Baku. We will continue working within the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security," Volodin said.
He also stressed that the US-EU gambit to isolate Russia has failed. "There is a demand in the international community for multipolarity and a fair world order. Our approaches to cultivating relations with other countries are based on the principles of mutual respect, non-interference in the affairs of other states and mutually beneficial cooperation," the State Duma speaker said.