Parliament speaker heads to Russia for official talks

ANKARA

 The speaker of Türkiye's parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, will embark on a four-day official visit to Russia starting Monday, following an invitation from the head of the Moscow's upper legislative chamber, the Federation Council.

Kurtulmuş will begin his visit in Moscow, where he will explore the Yunus Emre Institute, a center dedicated to promoting Turkish culture and language worldwide, and engage with students there. He is also slated to meet with members of the Russian-Turkish Business Association at Türkiye's embassy, focusing discussions on bolstering commercial cooperation and strengthening economic and social ties between the two nations.

On Tuesday, Kurtulmuş plans to hold inter-delegation talks with Valentina Matvienko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council. Additionally, he will visit Russia's Diplomatic Academy to address regional experts, faculty, young diplomats, and students as part of the academy's annual meeting with high-level foreign officials.

On Wednesday, Kurtulmuş will address the Federation Council and subsequently meet with Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, for further discussions. His itinerary also includes a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Kurtulmuş will continue his visit in St. Petersburg, where he is scheduled to meet with Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg.

Throughout his visit, Kurtulmuş is expected to address regional and global developments, with a particular focus on enhancing Türkiye-Russia cooperation in alignment with Türkiye's foreign policy objectives.

He will also underscore the importance of developing a joint perspective on addressing global and regional challenges, specifically regarding Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, with an emphasis on the Gaza Strip.