According to the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, the participants in the meeting agreed on an inter-parliamentary dialogue.
“The dialogue took place, the beginning of the conversation was laid. It is extremely important that it covers those issues that are relevant for us, “Vyacheslav Volodin said. He added that the parties reached an agreement on holding meetings on a permanent basis. The Chairman of the State Duma also stated that it is important “not to put the topics that are resonant and extremely important for us”.
Vyacheslav Volodin thanked his American counterparts for his visit to Moscow, noting that “this meeting is the first in many years, given that inter-parliamentary contacts were practically reduced to zero.”
The Chairman of the State Duma emphasized that “it is extremely important for us to launch a dialogue within the framework of the parliamentary dimension and to remove those issues that have arisen because of, in many respects, phobias and misunderstandings.”
“We proceed from the premise that the dialogue should be based on the principles of friendship, the principles of non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states, the absence of double standards and, of course, respect for each other,” concluded the Chairman of the State Duma.
In turn, the Chairman of the US Congressional Committee on Appropriations, Richard Shelby, drew attention to the fact that the dialogue was “very long and honest”. “We did not solve all the issues that faced us, but at least we communicated,” he stated.
Speaking about the forthcoming meeting of the Presidents of Russia and the United States in Helsinki, Richard Shelby expressed the hope that after these negotiations the leaders of the two countries “the future will be more rosy.”
Also, the journalists specified the participants of the talks when a return visit of Russian parliamentarians to the United States could take place. “The invitation was made, but we will need to speak with the embassy, in order to discuss the [concrete] date of the visit,” said Vyacheslav Volodin. In turn, Richard Shelby added that “meetings like this will be useful for our two countries.”