Parliamentarians from Commonwealth states reviewed model security acts at the IPA CIS Council

The Council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly was held in Samarkand, Republic of Uzbekistan, on October 27 with the 54th Plenary Session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly being held on October 28.
Parliamentary delegations of the Commonwealth member states and representatives of partner international organizations took part in the meeting. The parliamentarians reviewed a large set of model laws on elections, referendums and their observation.
In addition, a number of model documents in the field of security, science and education, intellectual activity and other areas were considered. The legal norms contained in the model laws will inform the lawmaking activities of the deputies and senators of the Commonwealth states.
Valentina Matvienko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, described the agenda of the Assembly session in Samarkand as rich.
“We are grateful to Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, for the invitation to hold the IPA CIS session in Samarkand. In the year of the Assembly’s 30th anniversary, we hold a first-ever full plenary session and CIS IPA Council session outside the headquarters in St Petersburg,” she said.
Tanzila Narbayeva, Speaker of the Senate of Uzbekistan, welcomed the heads of parliaments in Samarkand. She expressed confidence the IPA CIS session would make a significant contribution to the practical implementation of current tasks by strengthening the parliamentary diplomacy.
Maulen Ashimbayev stressed that comprehensive cooperation based on mutual respect for national interests of the CIS countries is the basis of long-term sustainable development in the Commonwealth. “This creates conditions for economic growth and enhancement of the well-being of the citizens of all our countries. This is the format of our interaction and dialogue on the Assembly’s platform,” said the Speaker of the Kazakh Senate.
Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda, head of the lower chamber of the Parliament of Tajikistan, stressed that the IPA CIS has become an in-demand structure of the Commonwealth, and parliamentarians are actively working to bring national legislations closer together. “Within the framework of the CIS, Tajikistan will continue to strengthen its relations with the member countries for the sake of peace and tranquility, security and stability in the area of responsibility of this organization,” he said.
Nurlanbek Shakiev, Chairman of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan, who is attending the IPA CIS Council meeting for the first time, thanked his colleagues for congratulating him following his election as Parliament Speaker and noted that Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to building IPA CIS’s capacity based on trust and mutual understanding. “In challenging context of modern and rapidly changing world, the IPA CIS should be an effective structure for mutually beneficial partnership in all fields of political, economic and humanitarian cooperation,” he said Nurlanbek Shakiev.
Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda, Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli of Tajikistan, believes the CIS IPA has become an important and influential platform of interparliamentary cooperation and lawmaking, whose main efforts are aimed at approximating national legislations of the member states and establishing a universal legal framework.
Among the event’s participants were Valentina Matvienko, Chairwoman of the IPA CIS Council and Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; Saghiba Gafarova, Chairwoman of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan; Alen Simonyan, Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia; Natalia Kochanova, Chairwoman of the Republic Council of the National Assembly of Belarus; and Maulen Ashimbaev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan; Nurlanbek Shakiev, Chairman of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan; Mahmadtoyir Zokirzoda, Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi  Oli of Tajikistan; Tanzila Narbayeva, Chairwoman of the Senate and Nuriddin Ismoilov, Chairman of the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan; Gulshat Mammedova, Chairwoman of the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan.
The event was also attended by Aigul Kuspan, Chairwoman of the Committee on International Affairs, Defence and Security of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Leonid Kalashnikov, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots; Dmitry Kobitsky, Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council; and Beketzhan Zhumakhanov, deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee.