DUSHANBE, March 6, 2014, Asia-Plus — Ms. Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Russia’s upper house (Federation Council) of parliament, is expected to pay an official visit to Tajikistan from March 12-13.
“While in Dushanbe, Russian parliamentary speaker is scheduled to hold talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and the head of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev to discuss state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation,” a source in the Tajik Government told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, trade and economic cooperation between the regions of the two countries will be among major topics of the talks.
Russia’s Federation Council speaker will give an exclusive interview to news agency Asia-Plus.
Federation Council is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (the parliament of the Russian Federation), according to the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. Each of the 83 federal subjects of Russia – consisting of 21 republics, 46 oblasts, nine krais, two federal cities, four autonomous okrugs, and one autonomous oblast – sends two senators to the Council, for a total membership of 166 Councilors. Sessions of the Federation Council are held in Moscow from January 25 to July 15, and from September 16 to December 31.
The Chairperson of the Federation Council is the third important position after the President and the Prime Minister. In the case of incapacity of the President and Prime Minister, the chairman of the upper house of parliament becomes Acting President of Russia.
