“As the former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I would like to express my satisfaction in connection with the return of the Russian Federation to PACE. I fought a lot for this, and when I became President, I was faced with the fact that the Russian delegation left PACE for obvious reasons. I struggled a lot to change that,” said Pedro Agramunt.
He stated this at the section “International Security: Dialogue of Legislators to Ensure Peace and Stability” within the framework of the 2nd International Forum “Development of Parliamentarism”
He noted that the work that he carried out for the return of Russia to PACE led to attacks.
“But now I can say that time proved me right, and it was a huge mistake to keep Russia outside PACE,” he stressed.
The absence of a parliamentarian delegation interferes with the dialogue, “therefore, no matter how difficult the situation is, Russia is now back [in PACE], and this is very important,” said Pedro Agramunt.
There is no democracy without parliamentarism
“Parliamentarism is the foundation, the canon of democracy. There is no democracy without parliamentarism, without parliamentarians,” said Pedro Agramunt.
“I believe that parliamentarians have a special mission — they represent the opinion of all citizens, not only those who are in the government but those who are the essence of the state,” he said.
Inter-parliamentary organizations, as well as this Forum, are of fundamental importance for the stability of the world.
“We must be on guard with those who are the defenders of globalism, with those who are trying to resolve problems unilaterally. And our fate is in our hands — in the hands of parliamentarians,” he said.
The 2nd International Forum ”Development of Parliamentarism“ is held on the initiative of the State Duma on July 1–3. This year representatives of 132 states participate in the Forum.
About 800 foreign guests and delegations from 14 international parliamentary organizations take part in the events. 41 speakers representing the national parliaments participate in the Forum.
The Forum will also host the Russia-Africa parliamentary conference.
