Interfax News Agency, Russia
Russia & CIS General Newswire
February 13, 2008 Wednesday 4:19 PM MSK

Russian MPs sign up to groups for ties with foreign parliaments

MOSCOW Feb 13

The State Duma has completed the formation of groups for ties with
foreign parliaments.

"Seventy-two groups have been formed and we are to confirm their
heads in March," said Alexander Kozlovsky of the United Russia
faction, who is a deputy for the co-chairmen of Russia’s
Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG), and Vice Chairman of the State
Duma’s International Affairs Committee.

The IPG is co-chaired by the speakers of both houses of parliament.

Most of the deputies have signed up to the groups for ties with the
parliaments of Ukraine (71), Belarus (64) and Kazakhstan (61).

Concerning the Caucasus, 26 deputies have signed up to the group for
ties with the parliaments of Azerbaijan, 20 – Armenia and 13 –
Georgia," Kozlovsky told Interfax.

The largest groups for ties with parliaments outside the Commonwealth
of Independent test are for Japan, China, France, Italy and Germany,
he said. "But what matters is not how large the group is, but how
ready their members are to become involved in parliamentary, and, in
fact, people’s diplomacy," Kozlovsky said.

"The coordinators of the 72 groups will be renewed by more than half,
because the current Duma has many newly elected deputies," he said.