New parliament building to be located in downtown Moscow

A new building of the Russian parliament will be located in downtown Moscow, according to the speaker of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, Sergei Naryshkin. When asked by Itar-Tass on Thursday whether a would-be parliamentary centre will be housed in Moscow’s new territories outside the outer circular road, Naryshkin said, “No, the lawmakers are not going to move there.” “Parliament is a building where it works and one of the symbols of democracy,” he said. He referred to the experience of other countries. “Everywhere, Parliament is housed in the best palaces in the centre of the city,” he noted. Parliament, in his words, is “both a legislative and a representative body, that is why it should be located in the centre.” But, “the final decision is up to the president,” Naryshkin stressed. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said that before re-locating the parliament to some other place it would be expedient to calculate possible expenses, which will be linked “not only with the building as such, but also with infrastructure, transport accessibility, communications, including special communications.” So, in his words, such plans may have direct impacts on the federal budget. According to chairman of the Duma commission on a would-be parliamentary centre Vladimir Resin, it will take three years to build such centre in downtown Moscow, and four years - outside Moscow’s outer circular road.