Parliament, Monday 10 December 2018 - Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Ms Thandi Modise, currently in Moscow on the invitation of the Federation Council, the upper House of the Russian Federation’s legislative body, will this afternoon address the international conference to mark the Federation Council’s 25th anniversary. The NCOP Chairperson will participate in and address the conference on the topic: the role of Parliaments in the modern world. The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly (Parliament) of the Russian Federation - 25 years of multifaceted development”.
The participation of Ms Modise in this crucial conference on behalf of the South African Parliament is part of strengthening Interparliamentary relations, cooperation and solidarity between the two sister Parliaments. South Africa and Russia share special ties borne out of strong historical relations. Said Ms Modise: “The Russian people’s selfless and generous gesture of solidarity and support during our liberation struggle will always be cherished by Parliament and the people of South Africa. We will always be appreciative of the solidarity and support provided to us when we were yearning for freedom.”
Both South African and Russian parliaments are members of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum alongside the legislative bodies of India, Brazil and China.
The NCOP chairperson said the South African Parliament viewed international engagements, such as the one she will be addressing this afternoon at the Federation Council, as valuable opportunities to deepen Parliamentary diplomacy as one of primary and effective instruments for the establishment of meaningful dialogue, strengthening of regional cooperation, and all-round consideration of national interests of each country.
“To this end parliamentary diplomacy becomes an instrument to connect legislative bodies with foreign policies. Today South Africa and the Russian Federation tend to co-ordinate their positions on international issues at various levels. Russia and South Africa acknowledge the necessity to build a more just system of international relations based on the sovereign equality of all states and peoples and supremacy of the law...” said the NCOP Chairperson.
Ms Modise will, in addition to giving an address at this international conference, also take part in its plenary discussions alongside other representatives of international parliaments on a wide range of topics, including on the use of parliamentary diplomacy potential in solving world problems, and the development of parliamentary dialogue to strengthen inter-state cooperation and to enhance mutual understanding between nations.
The NCOP Chairperson will also have a working dinner hosted by her Russian counterpart, the Chairperson of the Federation Council Ms Valentina Matviyenko.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
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