Putin to attend 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg

President Vladimir Putin will attend the 10th jubilee BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which opens in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

Putin’s participation in the forum was announced by speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko on Wednesday. This information was confirmed by Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, who told TASS that Putin will hold a number of separate meetings with participants in the forum on its margins.

According to the Federation Council’s press service, around 400 delegates from 16 countries, including Russia, are expected to take part in the forum that will be held on July 11 and 12.

The central topic of the forum will be "The Role of Parliaments in the Strengthening of Multipolarity for Fair Global Development and Security.

" According to the Federation Council speaker, this topic reflects the key present-day challenges. "It meets is among top priorities of Russia’s presidency. We stand for fair and safe development. All the forum’s event center round this," she stressed.

The forum will be attended by a delegation of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) led by its speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov, as well as lawmakers from Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, China, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, South Africa, representatives from the Interparliamentary Union, CIS Interparliamentary Assembly member states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Alexander Dvoinykh, chair of the Federation Council’s agrarian and food policy committee, described the forum as a unique platform for discussing most important issues, such as food security in the world. He said that he is sure that the forum will yield concrete proposals on ensuring uninterrupted food supplies to developing countries. "The illegal sanctions, restrictions and bans worsen the food situation in various countries and regions," he said, adding that parliamentary diplomacy on issues of food supplies is very important.

During the Parliamentary Forum, it is planned to sign a protocol to the memorandum of understanding and pass a joint declaration. A number of meetings between the speakers of both houses of Russian parliament with their foreign colleagues are expected to be held on the sidelines of the forum.

 Apart from that, a session of the Council of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly will beheld on July 12.