DUSHANBE, March 14, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The second session of inter-parliament commission for cooperation between the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) and the Federation Council of Russia (Upper house of Russia’s parliament) was held in Dushanbe on February 13.

The meeting, co-chaired by academician Mamadsho Ilolov, the head of the Majlisi Milli Committee on Science and Education, and Oleg Panteleyev, deputy head of the Federation Council Commission for Reglament, discussed issues related to further expansion of cooperation between the upper houses of the parliaments of the two countries in promoting cooperation between the legislative bodies of Tajikistan and Russia in different fields.

Inaugurating the meeting, Mr. Ilolov noted that the main objective of the work of the commission was to promote unification and harmonization of laws of Tajikistan and Russia in various directions.  “The commission pays proper attention to labor migration issues and expansion of education cooperation between the two countries,” the academician said, said noting that intake of students at the branch of Moscow State University in Dushanbe would start already this academic year.   

Speaking at the meeting, the Russian co-chairman of the commission, Oleg Panteleyev, noted that fuel-and-energy sphere was among priorities of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan and the commission would meet in the third quarter of this year to discuss that issue.

The meeting participants also considered the outcomes of the third inter-parliament forum “Tajikistan-Russia: Potential of Cooperation between Regions” that was held in Tajikistan last autumn as well as the progress of implementation of the concept of interaction between the Majlisi Milli and the federation Council of Russia on legal regulation of cooperation between regions of the two countries.