The Russian upper house, the Federation Council, is ready to engage in interparliamentary dialogue with the new composition of the Ukrainian legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, within the framework of the Normandy format, upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2019) The Russian upper house, the Federation Council, is ready to engage in interparliamentary dialogue with the new composition of the Ukrainian legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, within the framework of the Normandy format, upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko said on Tuesday.
Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of Ukraine's Opposition Platform � For Life party, proposed on December 20 launching dialogue between the parliaments of the Normandy Four countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the initiative.
"The idea itself of an interparliamentary dialogue of the Normandy format countries ... is obviously very useful ... This could contribute to the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas. But this is a very complicated task," Matviyenko said at a press conference.
Matviyenko added that the dialogue would be efficient only if the parliaments established groups uniting lawmakers from different political parties and groups.
She also said that all the Normandy Four countries should give their consent in order to enable this dialogue.
"During all these years, we have been sending signals to the Verkhovna Rada about the need to get down to the negotiations table. It is necessary to hear each other, to listen to each other, to try to understand each other and to prepare certain measures at the parliamentary level," Matviyenko said, accusing the Ukrainian parliament of ignoring these signals.
Matviyenko expressed hope that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's effort would contribute to strengthening the bilateral dialogue.
"We hope that the steps that have already been taken and that have been announced will contribute to establishing dialogue, establishing contact," Matviyenko said.
