Role of Parliaments in Overcoming Consequences of Crises and Cooperation in Humanitarian Sphere Discussed at Tavricheskiy Palace

The plenary session on "The Role of Parliaments in Countering the Fragmentation of the Multilateral Trade System and Overcoming Threats Related to the Consequences of Global Crises" was held in an extended format at the 10^th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

The event was opened by Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko. She stated that the World Trade Organization is experiencing the largest crisis in its history and in order to improve the effectiveness of the WTO it is necessary to reform it, aiming at resuming the full-scale work of all its bodies.

Speaker of the Federation Council spoke about a digital payment platform BRICS Bridge, which will help to bring together financial markets of the BRICS countries and to get mutual trade turnover. Valentina Matvienko considers that such an instrument could be created as a result of the elaboration of a joint report of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the Bank of Russia with the unification partners on the topic of improving the international monetary and financial system, which will be presented to the leaders of the BRICS countries.

The Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament noted that it may use digital currencies of the BRICS central banks and their exchange rate will be tied to the value of national currencies. In addition, digital settlement and payment platform will be decentralized and no participants will be able to restrict the activities of others.

"In case of approval of the initiative proposed by Russia from the BRICS countries, coordinated legislative work will be required to introduce the national digital currency into circulation and its use in cross-border settlements," said the Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Alexander Babakov told about the strengthening of partnership relations between various countries of the world and the Eurasian Economic Union and collaborative work on transition to national currency. The deputy announced Russia's readiness to moderate the process of creating a future financial system.

Speaker of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Igor Sergeenko said that the situation can be changed only by joint efforts. That is why Belarus has become the 10^th full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and has applied to join the BRICS.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan noted that Armenia is aware of the importance of inclusive interconnectedness of open borders and unblocking regional communications. Major infrastructure projects in the South Caucasus can become a unifying factor for the countries of the region and beyond.

The second meeting of the plenary session was dedicated to interparliamentary cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural fields.

Valentina Matvienkonoted that the BRICS unites various countries with unique cultural heritage. At the same time, they share main ethical and spiritual values.

The Speaker of the Federation Council also mentioned that one of the priorities for Russian legislators is the creation of comfortable learning conditions for foreign students. Annually the Government of the Russian Federation increases quotas and allocates state scholarships for students and postgraduates from the BRICS countries.

"Common educational standards are being introduced on the territory of the BRICS countries. Within its chairmanship Russia intends to promote the creation of a mechanism for the recognition of qualifications and diplomas of education between our countries," said the Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council.

She brought into focus that the cooperation in the fields of culture and art also helps nations to get to know each other better. Tourists from the BRICS countries account for more than half of the incoming tourist flow to Russia from abroad.

First Deputy Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Ivan Melnikov noted that Russia seeks to strengthen cultural and civilizational diversity in the world, increase trust between states and nations and promote mutual enrichment in the fields of culture, science, education, sports and tourism.

Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova considers that despite the long distances, the countries share close humanitarian and cultural ties, which must be preserved and passed on to younger generations.

Speaker of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva reported that the country is implementing a whole range of large-scale reforms in economic, trade and investment, humanitarian and cultural areas. According to her, it has become traditional to hold film festivals and cultural days in Uzbekistan. A special place is occupied by the issues of the development of the women's movement.

She added that this year has become special for Uzbekistan due to the fact that the city of Samarkand has received the status of the cultural capital of the Commonwealth countries.

In her speech, Tanzila Narbaeva noted the projects implemented within the framework of the IPA CIS. Among them is the cultural and educational forum "Children of the Commonwealth", where the forum participants discuss essential issues of protecting the rights and interests of children, get acquainted with cultural and historical heritage, solving environmental problems and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The Speaker of the Senate of Uzbekistan also spoke about the Eurasian Women's Forum, which serves to unite efforts in strengthening the institution of the family, ensuring gender equality, and protecting the rights and interests of women.

The Speaker also noted the "Memory Train" project, which promotes the rapprochement of young people, the formation of a respectful attitude to historical memory in the minds of the younger generation and understanding the values of peace and the tragedy of war. The Speaker of the Senate proposed to expand the project to other countries that contributed to the victory over fascism.

Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Baktiyar Kalpayev said that cultural and humanitarian ties between the countries strengthen interethnic harmony. It is important to continue to search for new forms of interaction and implement joint projects, the parliamentarian said

At the closing of the plenary session, Valentina Matvienko said that as a result of joint painstaking and creative work of the parliaments of the BRICS countries, the text of the Joint Declaration of the X Parliamentary Forum was fully agreed upon, the document was unanimously adopted.

"The program of Russia's BRICS chairmanship provides a large number of different events. In September 2024, the 4^th Eurasian Women's Forum will be held in St. Petersburg, where we will discuss the widest range of issues of women's participation in the economy, politics and social processes. The BRICS Women's Business Alliance will actively participate in the event," said the Speaker of the Federation Council. She invited all women parliamentarians to participate in the Forum.

The joint Declaration of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum will be sent to the UN for publication as an official document of the organization, to the heads of states participating in the BRICS summit in Kazan, as well as to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

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