The first interparliamentary conference “Russia – Latin America” ​​ended with a joint plenary session

The first interparliamentary conference “Russia – Latin America” ended on Monday with a joint plenary meeting of deputies from two parts of the world. At the end of the four-day forum, parliamentarians once again noted the similarity of views on the world order and emphasized the special role of inter-parliamentary diplomacy in resolving issues in different sectors.

Courteous Latin Americans were not tired of praising the hospitality of the Russian side even by the fourth day of the Moscow forum. They did this with respect for the local flavor: the Russian word “Duma” was firmly entrenched in the vocabulary of, it seems, all the guest deputies, and they deftly included it in almost every speech they made.

The Chairman of this very Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, could not forget the quote from Che Guevara, brought to him, as it were, personally by his Cuban colleague and voiced during Saturday’s bilateral meeting. “The most important thing is that the spirit of struggle does not get tired,” the speaker recalled, opening the final plenary session. “As for physical fatigue, it does not matter. Dear colleagues, I want these words to be the basis for us in the work that politicians in every country must do if they want their people to live happily in a sovereign state and be able to plan their own future.” Mr. Volodin called non-interference in the affairs of the above-mentioned sovereign states and mutual benefit the fundamental principles of building interstate relations and officially invited his colleagues to meet in the same format next year.

Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko also emphasized mutual interest in creating such ties. “The irreversible formation of a fair, polycentric model of organization is now accelerating,” she said, adding that Latin America is becoming one of the “centers of a renewed world based on equality and respect.” In the new model, the role of parliaments is also growing, the speaker of the Federation Council noted, and the “key to success” is “a joint search for answers to challenges and the desire to formulate a creative, positive agenda.”

However, there is still a lot of work to be done on the path to a fair world order, as the forum guests already recalled. “The world hegemon refuses to die and brings a lot of grief to the entire planet,” lamented the speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodriguez Gomez, complaining about American sanctions. They were generally remembered quite often. But if Vyacheslav Volodin emphasized that the result of the sanctions policy of the collective West was the strengthening of those at whom it was directed, then Latin Americans noted the destructive impact of such restrictive measures. “What is mistakenly called sanctions, military measures, measures of hybrid warfare are bombs that take thousands of lives, a kind of pandemic, a plague,” Mr. Gomez did not hesitate to speak loudly. Both the Venezuelan speaker and the representatives of Nicaragua and Cuba who spoke after him proposed to overcome the destructive influence of this “pandemic” together, coordinating actions, including through inter-parliamentary diplomacy.

“This conference allowed us to talk about what we can achieve by uniting together – a multilateral world that will give us additional opportunities,” agreed the President of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) Amado Serrud Acevedo. “This platform opens up the future for us, ensures interaction so that all of Latin America could present a united front in a changing world.” Representative of Brazil Veneziano Vital Do Regu, who refrained from anti-American rhetoric, also called for unity: “Now, gentlemen, we are starting to build a new, multipolar world, more just and sustainable – and we are confident that meetings like this will bring excellent results.” Russian parliamentarians intend to observe Latin American unity with their own eyes: the parties signed a special agreement on the State Duma joining PARLACEN as an observer the day before.

Non-public work within the framework of the conference generally turned out to be quite productive, as follows from the press speech of the leader of the Duma faction “United Russia” Vladimir Vasiliev. Thus, at the meetings with the delegation from Nicaragua, according to United Russia, 10 deputy heads of various Russian ministries were present at once: “Parliamentarians work out mutual connections, determine opportunities and mutual interests, and behind them comes the executive branch, which makes decisions.” By the way, the final speech at the plenary session was the speech of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who recalled that Russia “has always been sympathetic to the desire of the peoples of South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean to gain true freedom and true sovereignty.” “The composition of the participants and the agenda of your meeting are a clear confirmation of the major changes that are taking place in world politics,” Mr. Lavrov declared. “We are not only present at the formation of a fair, multipolar architecture of international relations, but we are also directly participating in this process.”

Representatives of the opposition Duma parties also emphasized the substantive significance of the forum. LDPR Chairman Leonid Slutsky said that the parties discussed “key issues of interaction in the sphere of economics, science, education, and culture.” The leader of the New People, Alexey Nechaev, recalled that Russian solutions “are coming to Latin America not only in traditional areas, but also in the new economy, including cybersecurity and digital technologies.” And co-chairman of “A Just Russia – For Truth” Gennady Semigin pointed out the guests’ interest in the “model of interethnic relations” implemented in Russia. “All this gives hope that we will overcome (the sanctions.— “Kommersant”) difficulties, a systemic crisis, and we will do everything to establish new relations,” summed up the Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Central Committee Gennady Zyuganov.

Grigory Leiba