The Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
called the substitution of international law by individual decisions as one of the main challenges of modern society.
He noted that the IPU Assembly began with a speech of an American scientist “but I think you will agree with me that if the speech was delivered by our colleagues from the US Congress this would be a more profound conversation, as a lot of issues that we will discuss here will relate to this country.“
According to Viacheslav Volodin, the effectiveness of parliamentary structures depends on how much they uphold the values of democracy, the international norms, and rules that countries have created for decades
“Ignoring the interests of other countries and peoples, as well as implementing only the “right of the strong” is a direct pathway to conflicts and wars,” he said.
These questions would be right to discuss, noted Viacheslav Volodin.
He drew an example of recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights ”by the US President with one stroke of the pen, bypassing the UN and its decisions.“ These actions have led to the fact that the already fragile peace in the Middle East is in danger of destruction.
“The international community is becoming a hostage to such a policy. And we know from history where this can lead to,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
He reminded that twenty years had passed since the NATO bombing of Belgrade. ”Since then we have witnessed the war in Iraq, the destruction of the statehood of Libya, attempts to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government with the terrorists’ help. Who is next?“ the Chairman of the State Duma continued.
Moreover, according to Viacheslav Volodin, the US did everything to undermine the Venezuelan economy: “30 billion dollars that are on the blocked accounts were in fact stolen, and this money belongs to the people of Venezuela, trade sanctions were imposed, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure were organized”.
Trade sanctions were also imposed on China, Iran, Cuba, and Russia, said the Chairman of the State Duma.
According to Viacheslav Volodin, if these issues are not discussed at the level of parliamentary organizations, all this will create a huge threat to global security.
He invited the Assembly to assess the situation in a number of countries. “We should not stand aside, thinking that this applies only to the Middle East, North Africa or individual countries of South America. This may concern any country participating in the IPU,” he said.
The Chairman of the State Duma reminded that the 136th IPU Assembly adopted a resolution on the role of parliaments in respecting the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states. It says about the need for parliaments of the IPU member states to uphold a position in favor of preserving the foundations of international law.
“Only together we can resist interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, the “color revolutions” that threaten the peaceful and free development of countries and peoples,” stated Viacheslav Volodin.
He added that conflicts and wars lead to humanitarian disasters and the flow of internally displaced persons and refugees, which directly affects the quality of people’s life.
“When we speak, for example, about Syria, Libya, it is crucial to fully restore peaceful life, build a social infrastructure for the return of refugees to their homes,” he added.
Viacheslav Volodin said that last week he met with the President of Lebanon. More than two million people fled to the territory of this country from neighboring Syria, the five-million population of the country increased almost one and a half times. “This is an unbearable burden on the state, on its economy, on the people of Lebanon. The country is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. But we all perfectly understand why this happened, who was behind the creation of a terrorist state and tried to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government and seize power,” he said.
“The policy of creation, not destruction, should become a model in international relations, including the parliamentary dimension. We see the answer to contemporary challenges that international legal order is facing today in the unifying agenda. Interaction is necessary not only in the field of education and development of the digital economy but, first of all, in the security sphere, interregional cooperation and countering international terrorism,” the Chairman of the State Duma emphasized.
