People’s Assembly and Russian Federal Council discuss strengthening parliamentary cooperation via video

A joint expanded meeting was held via video between the Russian Federal Council, the People’s Assembly and the Syrian-Russian Parliamentary Friendship Group, during which they discussed increasing parliamentary cooperation in addition to cooperation in the humanitarian field, including education and scientific research.

Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s  Committee of Cooperation with the People’s Assembly, member of the Defense and Security Committee Sergey Muratov chaired the Russian side in the meeting with the participation of Vice-President of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, the Russian Deputy Minister of Science and Education, members of the Federation Council and the Russian Ambassador to Syria Alexander Yefimov.

Kosachev stressed that cooperation with Syria constitutes a very important component in the work of the members of the Russian Federation Council, stressing that Syria’s firm and precise positions constitute an additional factor for rapprochement between the peoples of the two countries.

Kosachev pointed out that parliamentary contacts, the results of which must be implemented to the maximum extent possible, constitute a fundamental axis in the relations between Syria and Russia.

For his part, Deputy Speaker of the People’s Assembly Akram Ajlani affirmed Syria’s support for the Russian special military operation, which aims to protect the residents of Donbass, disarm Ukraine and uproot Nazism from it.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Committee in the People’s Assembly Basem Sudan expressed the committee’s support for the decisions of the Russian leadership aimed at protecting the Donbass population, defending the principles of international law and maintaining peace in the world.

Deputy Minister of Local Administration Moataz Qattan noted the signing of cooperation agreements between the Syrian provinces and cities and the Russian regions and cities to consolidate relations between the two countries and contribute to the reconstruction of Syria.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Abdul Latif Hanano referred to the fruitful cooperation between scientific and educational institutions in both countries, expressing thanks for the scholarships offered by the Russian government to the Syrian side. He pointed to the problem of Syrian students who were studying in Ukrainian universities and asking for help by accepting them in Russian universities.

For his part, the Syrian Ambassador in Moscow, Dr. Riad Haddad, reiterated Syria’s support for the Russian Federation, the people, the army, and the leadership in its efforts to restore the lost balance in the world, correct the course of history, defend lofty values, international law and respect the sovereignty of states.

Ambassador Haddad stressed the importance of upgrading bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, wishing the Syrian-Russian Parliamentary Friendship Group success in achieving its goals of consolidating parliamentary relations between the two friendly countries at the highest level.

The participants in the meeting submitted a proposal to hold joint meetings on cooperation once every three months.

Inas Abdulkareem