Listen to all points of view
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)
discussed
with Liliane Maury Pasquier legislative activities of the State Duma.
“Our colleague Oksana
Pushkina
Oksana Viktorovna
has now prepared a bill on the prevention of domestic violence, there
is a vigorous debate,” he said.
“In 2003, I introduced a bill on equal rights of men and women and it was considered in the first reading, and then it was suspended. Some of its provisions were implemented, and some of them are still being discussed, they are considered controversial. We believe that this is normal, because the most important thing for us is the adoption of decisions that would then fit well into our lives. It is important that the law should be implemented, and that people would accept it,” the Chairman of the State Duma noted.
“Russia is a multinational, multiconfessional country. Therefore, it is very important for us that traditions, culture, and the history of peoples are respected. We cherish it, and this is the basis of our relations,” he emphasized.
“Different positions, different approaches and different views make us stronger. It is extremely important for us that everyone has the opportunity of self-realization, to express their point of view. We believe that PACE should be a venue for discussion. Despite the different traditions and cultures of our countries, we should discuss everything openly and defend our point of view at our European home. The foundations of parliamentarism just oblige us to hold discussions,” stressed Viacheslav Volodin.
“It is important for you, as the PACE President, to do everything so that the delegations of all countries have the opportunity to express their views,” he said.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said: ”It is a great honor for me to be here in the State Duma.“
She agreed that the most important thing was to defend diversity of views. ”I am from a small country, it is a confederation that unites people with different points of view, different cultures, languages, and I try to protect their right to this diversity,“ stressed Liliane Maury Pasquier.
Respect the memory
Viacheslav Volodin asked the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to monitor the issue of respect for historical memory.
“There is an issue that we have discussed in Strasbourg, I would like to talk about it again and ask you to monitor this issue. We are talking about historical memory, about our soldiers, officers who died defending the world from the “Brown Plague”. Today they are not able to protect themselves. We should do everything to ensure that their memory remains vivid and that they are not destroyed literally and figuratively, given that we witness acts of vandalism when monuments and graves are destroyed. It is unacceptable. We will be consistent and irreconcilable on that issue,” he said.
“Almost 27 million of our relatives died. This is not just an immeasurable loss for us, it is a sacrifice of a multinational people for the sake of saving the world,” the Chairman of the State Duma added.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe agreed with him.
“I know that your proposal is supported by colleagues from other European countries,” said Liliane Maury Pasquier.
“Taking into account that there are attacks on history, it is especially important to carefully monitor the situation and how history is taught in all member states of the Council of Europe, to ensure that the history that is taught shows the real picture,” she said.
“We should not allow the facts of history to be reinterpreted from the point of view of any groups. This is the little thing that we can do to honor the memory and pay respect to those people who died protecting us and gave us freedom,” concluded Liliane Maury Pasquier.
Time for dialogue
“Russia has been a member of the Council of Europe for 23 years, since 1996. I am glad that Russia is back to PACE and that Russian parliamentarians participate in its work and make reports,” said Liliane Maury Pasquier.
“I hope that the Russian delegation will continue its effective, active participation in the PACE activities,” she added.
“We have managed to recreate the space for dialogue so that we can move forward together,” said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
According to her, there are supporters of dialogue, not allegations and rejection of it in the PACE.
Russia will never abandon its values
“We will never abandon important values and our sovereignty,” the Chairman of the State Duma emphasized.
He said that in many countries there is an infringement on the basis of language. “We have repeatedly appealed on the situation in the Baltic countries, in Ukraine, but there are no monitoring groups, no one goes there and does not evaluate the situation,” he stressed.
“No one discussed the fact that the Crimean Tatars have had no right to their language before,” added Viacheslav Volodin.
Countries that trap PACE in the past
“There are representatives of a number of countries in PACE, and it seems to me, that they are determined to trap everyone in the past,” said the Chairman of the State Duma.
He named the Baltic States, Poland, Georgia and Ukraine among these countries.
“They want to live at the expense of someone, and not build their own economies and provide for themselves. Ukraine wants to get revenue from the transit of Russian gas, Georgia from the deliveries of its wine to Russia,” Viacheslav Volodin explained.
He recalled the provocations in Georgia that took place during the participation of the Russian delegation in events of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. “Nationalists broke into the hall and started shouting that the Russians had seized their parliament. There was altercation, and then the demonstrations started. And our delegation was, in fact, in danger. We managed to evacuate them. But the invitation was from the leadership of Georgia,” he said.
“At least basic apologies should be made,” Viacheslav Volodin believes.
“Mr. Chairman, we are monitoring the situation on the development of relations between Russia and Georgia, and we hope that these relations will return to a peaceful course, the course of normal relations,” added the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Invitation to Russia
Viacheslav Volodin invited Liliane Maury Pasquier to visit Russia again next year.
“I know that your term of office expire in January, but no matter where you continue to fulfill yourself, we are always glad to see you,” he said, adding that “in order to understand Russia, you need to visit the regions. Therefore, if you have such opportunity, come to Russia, I invite you. ”
The Chairman of the State Duma also held a short tour at the building of the State Duma for the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He also introduced her to journalists in the press center.
“The journalists are very professional, they keep us alert,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
“The journalism itself must be independent,” agreed Liliane Maury Pasquier.
Then she, accompanied by Viacheslav Volodin, visited the plenary hall. Members of the State Duma greeted the guest.
On October 23–24, 2019, the Chairman of the State Duma visited Strasbourg where he participated in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament.
He met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Liliane Maury Pasquier during the visit.
The parties discussed issues of protection of the rights of citizens. Viacheslav Volodin urged PACE to pay attention to the protection not only political, but also to labor human rights.
In addition, the Chairman of the State Duma noted the contribution of Liliane Maury Pasquier to the restoration of Russian credentials in PACE. “The nation cannot be incapacitated. Because when it came to depriving the rights of our delegation, this was considered by our citizens as a loss of rights,” he said.
Liliane Maury Pasquier, in turn, emphasized the importance of the dialogue: “Parliament is the place to speak.”
