Brazilian President Says Parliamentary Ties With Russia Will Boost Cooperation

The strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations between Moscow and Brasilia will positively affect bilateral cooperation, Brazilian Michel Temer said Wednesday, adding that parliamentary delegations from both countries need to focus on fostering economic cooperation.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Temer arrived to Russia for an official visit earlier in the day in order to meet with top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament.

“Inter-parliamentary cooperation fosters the deepening of friendly relations between our countries. The groups of friendship, which exist between our parliaments, work on expanding cooperation, but they also need to focus on the issues of economic ties,” Temer said.

The Brazilian president was hopeful that the upcoming convention of Inter-Parliamentary Union, which will take place this fall in St. Petersburg, will further promote the parliamentary ties between Russia and Brazil.

“We are interested in revitalization of our cooperation in order to coordinate our positions at the international platforms, such as BRICS, G20 and the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” Matvienko said at the meeting with Temer.

Russia and Brazil cooperate within the framework of BRICS, which the countries founded alongside India and China at the 2006 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). South Africa later joined the political bloc in 2010.