The Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Russian State Duma welcomed the announcement by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to hold the Shura Council elections in October 2021.
In a statement, the Committee pointed out that His Highness the Amir's speech at the opening of the 49th session of the Shura Council drew positive reaction in Russian society which is actively interested in affairs of friendly Qatar and regards the Qatari people as a brotherly people.
The Committee affirmed its confidence that the Shura Council elections will contribute to developing parliamentary cooperation between the legislative authorities in the Russian Federation and the State of Qatar, and expressed hope to continue developing parliamentary cooperation. It also affirmed its openness to cooperation with the Shura Council in all issues related to the Russian-Qatari agenda.
"We would particularly like to focus on the part of His Highness the Amir's speech regarding the announcement of elections to the Shura Council in October 2021 in accordance with the Qatari constitution. We warmly welcome and support this decision," the statement reads. "We are convinced that these elections will become an important step in deepening participation of citizens in legislative process and strengthening the role of the legislature in Qatar."
In its statement, the Committee expressed sincere hope for developing and expanding of inter-parliamentarian cooperation between Russia and Qatar, adding that it is confident that the Russian-Qatari relations will benefit not only both peoples and countries but also all international relations.
The State Duma Committee praised the successes achieved by the State of Qatar in various spheres, especially Doha's role in regional affairs, stressing that Doha has played an effective role in settlement of issues important to the stability and security of the Near and Middle East regions.