The official return visit on 18-19 February 2018 by the president of the Russian DUMA, Vyacheslav Volodin at the invitation of National Council president Dominique de Buman (CVP, FR) follows on from a trip to Russia in 2017 by the then National Council president Jürg Stahl (SVP/ZH) and a parliamentary delegation.

​The president of the Russian Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, will be accompanied by a delegation of high-level representatives of the Duma and regional representatives. The delegation will visit the Einstein Museum at Bern’s Helvetiaplatz on 18 February in the presence of the mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried. Mr de Buman will then receive the president of the Duma and his delegation for an official working dinner.

The official talks will take place on 19 February. The president of the National Council will be accompanied by Marina Carobbio-Guscetti (SP, TI), 1st vice president of the National Council, Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (CVP, BS), president of the National Council Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), Filippo Lombardi (CVP, TI), president of the Council of States Foreign Affairs Committee and president of the Delegation to the Council of Europe, and by National Council member, Margret Kiener-Nellen (SP, BE), president of the OSCE Delegation. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and topics of an international nature.

At the end of the visit, Mr Volodin will pay a courtesy visit to Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.