Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Babakov met with PABSEC representatives

On 10 December 2021, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Babakov Babakov
Alexander Mikhailovich held a meeting with members of the PABSEC delegation and the PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev.

The meeting participants stressed that the pandemic had affected activities of the General Assembly. Almost all the meetings had recently been held via videoconference. The next session of the General Assembly may be held in Russia in summer of 2022.

“In order to make the next session go smoothly, it should be held in person, not online. I hope that the pandemic situation will get better by July 2022,” Asaf Hajiyev said.

Alexander Babakov agreed with him and added that there would be good prospects for Russia.

“The more we show everyone capacities and achievements of our country, thus, there will be less arguments to detractors for political speculations. Our task is to depoliticize the PABSEC activities as much as possible,” he said.

The PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev also noted inadmissibility of politicizing activities of the organization. Therefore, he urged the Russian delegation to pay special attention to choosing of the topic of the main discussion of the next Assembly’s session in summer of 2022.

In addition, it became known that the PABSEC had become an observer at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. Asaf Hajiyev said that it took place not long after Russia had taken over the PABSEC chairmanship.

The meeting participants also discussed issues related to further activities of the organization. The Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Babakov proposed to include regional issues in the agenda. The meeting participants also discussed staffing and other issues.

In November 2021, the PABSEC chairmanship was transferred from the Romanian Parliament to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The head of the delegation of Bulgaria to the PABSEC Petar Kanev, the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Regional Policy and Local Self-Government Alexey Didenko Didenko
Alexey Nikolaevich , the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans’ Affairs Nikolay Kolomeitsev Kolomeitsev
Nikolay Vasilievich , member of the State Duma Committee on Energy Grigory Shilkin Shilkin
Grigory Vladimirovich and member of the State Duma Committee on Security and Corruption Control Mikhail Sheremet Sheremet
Mikhail Sergeyevich also took part in the meeting.