I congratulate Pyotr Olegovich Tolstoy on his election as Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs! I wish him professional success in advancing Russia’s development and strengthening the country’s standing in the realm of inter-parliamentary relations.
For my part—as I stated during President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the leadership of political parties—I will continue to work actively, shoulder to shoulder with others, in the field of parliamentary diplomacy, a sphere to which I have dedicated nearly three decades. I remain a member of the Committee.
Serving as head of the international committee for ten years—combining the role with the chairmanship of the LDPR for the last four—has been an invaluable experience for me. It has involved managing a substantial portfolio of ratification bills, holding hundreds of meetings with foreign politicians (often involving very challenging discussions), developing new formats for the State Duma’s international cooperation, and championing national interests in inter-parliamentary forums—where the voices of Russian deputies and senators could not be silenced by either unlawful sanctions or Russophobic discrimination.
Geopolitics has always been a crucial issue for the LDPR as well. Developing party diplomacy, needless to say, remains a top priority.