The Federation Council Committee on International Affairs supported the proposals of Astrakhan Region

Today in Moscow, within the framework of the Days of Astrakhan Region, an expanded meeting of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs considered the issue "On development of international relations of Astrakhan region, taking into account its geopolitical position".

Opening the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee Grigory Karasin noted:

"We understand the importance of the international activities of Astrakhan region and will do everything possible to ensure that the decisions taken on this issue are effective."

The representative of the Department for Relations with the Subjects of the Federation, the Parliament and Public Associations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Valery Maslin, noted that the leadership of Astrakhan region attaches great importance to the development of international cooperation. Various relations with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran are actively developing.

"The region has long-standing trade, economic and humanitarian ties with these states," the representative of the Foreign Ministry said. "The Governor of Astrakhan Region, Igor Babushkin, and members of the regional government actively participate in the work of bilateral commissions with these and other states."

Anna Popova, Deputy Director of the Department for the Development of Integration Projects and CIS Countries of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, noted the active work of Astrakhan Region in preparing for the upcoming 2nd Caspian Economic Forum in August this year.

"The Forum will become a platform for discussing topical issues of cooperation between the countries of the Caspian region. Currently, we have many areas of cooperation in such areas as industrial cooperation, transport, logistics, energy, and there is potential for joint projects in the field of tourism, education, and ecology, " she said. "We hope that the representatives of Astrakhan Region delegation will use the Forum's platforms to strengthen ties with the Caspian Five countries and establish new contacts."

Mikhail Petrakov, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the delimitation and demarcation of the state border of the Russian Federation with the CIS countries and the head of the Russian delegation to the multilateral negotiations on the Caspian Sea, spoke about the special geopolitical situation of Astrakhan region in his speech.

"Astrakhan is, in fact, the Caspian region in miniature. It is a multinational city, a place of fusion of cultures, customs, traditions, and mentality, " he said. "With its high economic potential, Astrakhan Region could well continue to implement projects that would consolidate the region and make it more useful for Russia as a whole."

Senators from our region Alexander Bashkin and Gennady Ordenov came to support Astrakhan region at the meeting of the Committee.

Alexander Bashkin, the representative of the executive body of the state power of Astrakhan region in the Federation Council, recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin called region a stronghold of Russia in the Caspian Sea and stressed that it acquired its geopolitical significance after the collapse of the USSR. "I am a native of Astrakhan, and before we did not know the word "border", and now Astrakhan is a border region. It is here that Russia's strategic interests are concentrated, " the senator said.

Alexander Bashkin considers the issues discussed at the Committee to be relevant, interesting and promising. "The further development of Astrakhan region will breathe economic life into the neighboring regions, because many problems are interconnected," he is convinced.

Following the meeting, the senators unanimously supported the proposals made by the representatives of the region.

Photo:Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation