Matviyenko confirms participation in Inter-Parliamentary Union's assembly in October

Speaker of the upper house of Russian parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, has confirmed her participation in the assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, due to be held in Geneva in October, Martin Chungong, the Secretary General of the IPU, said here on Friday.

He said the IPU had sent an invitation to Matviyenko to come to Geneva in October and she confirmed her participation.

Chungong also said he did not foresee any problems with the obtaining of the Swiss visa for the invitee.

Chungong also expressed regret over the impossibility for Matviyenko to take part in the 4th world conference of parliament speakers, due in New York from August 31 through to September 2.

He said the fact was regrettable because the IPU had hoped she would be present in New York.
Valentina Matviyenko, who had had received an official invitation to take part in the 4th World Conference of parliament speakers from August 31 to September 2, was also expected to attend a conference of women speakers on August 29-30.

She did not rule out earlier the US might deny an entry visa to her as a Russian official blacklisted in connection with Crimea's reunification with Russia in March 2014.

When the US embassy finally issued the visa to her, she found out that it contained a number of unacceptable restrictions on her stay in the US In the wake of it, the whole Russian delegation decided to stay away from the trip to New York.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said with regard to the incident the US actions constituted a glaring encroachment on universally accepted norms of international law and ran counter to the obligations of countries hosting multilateral forums on their territories.
Source: Itar-Tass