On 15 and 16 May National Council president Jürg Stahl will be in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin. Meetings are also planned with the Chairman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, with representatives from the Russian-Swiss parliamentary friendship group of the State Duma and the Federation Council, with Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, responsible for sport, tourism and youth policy, and Vice Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov. The working visit to Moscow will be rounded off with discussions with representatives from Russia’s civil society and a visit to ‘Metalloobrabotka’, an exhibition on the metal and tool industry where Swiss firms are strongly represented.
On 17 and 18 May Mr Stahl will travel on to St. Petersburg where he will begin his visit by delivering a speech at the International Legal Forum. The forum set up by the Russian Justice Ministry in 2011 considers questions surrounding legal developments in a globalised world. Courtesy visits to Vice Governor Alexander Govorunov and the chairman of the local parliament, Vyacheslav Makarov are also planned. In addition, Jürg Stahl will visit the scientific research vessel, Akademik Treshnikov, in the port of St. Petersburg, which recently conducted the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) supported by the EPFL and other Swiss universities.
The president of the National Council will be accompanied by a delegation consisting of National Council member and first vice president Dominique de Buman (CVP/FR), National Council member and second vice president Marina Carobbio Guscetti (SP/TI), and National Council members Adrian Amstutz (SVP/BE), Thierry Burkart (FDP.The Liberals/AG), Balthasar Glättli (GP/ZH), Tiana Angelina Moser (GLP/ZH), Rosmarie Quadranti (BDP/ZH), as well as Philippe Schwab, Secretary General of the Federal Assembly and Claudio Fischer, Ambassador, head of International Affairs and Multilingualism.