For the first time in over a decade, lawmakers from Russia’s State Duma and the European Parliament held a joint meeting on Wednesday, conducted virtually via video conference, according to the press office of the Duma’s International Affairs Committee.
The Russian side was represented by committee chairman Leonid Slutsky, deputies Vyacheslav Nikonov and Alexey Chepa, as well as members Maria Butina and Dmitry Kuznetsov.
The European Parliament delegation included lawmakers from Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, and Luxembourg, led by independent MEP Fernand Kartheiser, Russia’s TASS agency reported.
“This is the first meeting between European Parliament members and the State Duma in eleven years.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect for your courage and for engaging in open dialogue,” Slutsky said in a statement released by the Duma.
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