Kazakh MPs taking part in CSTO Parliamentary Assembly

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - A delegation of parliamentarians of Kazakhstan is taking part in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, EurAsEC Interparliamentary Assembly and the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in St. Petersburg, this has been reported by the press service of the Senate.

Chairman of the Senate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held bilateral meetings with the heads of parliamentary delegations of Russia and Belarus. At a meeting with the chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Chairman of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matviyenko the parties discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation between the upper chambers of the legislatures of the two countries as well as topical issues including the situation in Ukraine. The Speakers noted that the strategic and allied character of the Kazakh-Russian relations provide for strengthening parliamentary collaboration. In this regard, they stressed the importance of the forthcoming session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Commission themed "Kazakhstan-Russia" which will be held in Astana in May the current year. K.Tokayev and V. Matviyenko talked about the critical importance of the forthcoming signing of the Treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. Mr.Tokayev and Russian State Duma speaker Sergey Naryshkin discussed the issues related to the agenda of the CSTO and the CIS, the Eurasian economic integration development as well as Kazakh-Russian inter-parliamentary cooperation. During the conversation between the Speaker of the Senate and the Council Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Anatoly Rubinov, the sides exchanged views on the development of relations between the parliaments of the two countries, in particular in the framework of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee "Republic of Kazakhstan - Republic of Belarus". At the meetings with colleagues from Russia and Belarus Tokayev stressed Kazakhstan's serious concern about the situation in Ukraine. "We look forward to the talks in Geneva with representatives of Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and Russia. Ukrainian crisis resolution should be done through the dialogue involving all interested parties and in accordance with the international law", said the Speaker of the Senate. On the same day IPA CIS headquarters held an exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko.