Parliaments Of Russia And Kazakhstan Sign Cooperation Agreement

The lower houses of the Russian and the Kazakh legislatures, known respectively as the State Duma and the Majilis, have concluded a cooperation agreement. State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev and Majilis Chairman Zharmakhan Tuyakbai signed the document on behalf of their chambers in the Kazakh capital of Astana Wednesday. Under the agreement, a special commission on cooperation between the two parliamentary houses shall exchange expertise, draft bills, and solve legislative problems in the socio-economic, customs, and humanitarian spheres. The document stresses the importance of such cooperation for re-integration processes within the Commonwealth of Independent States. At a meeting with Kazakh MPs, Mr. Seleznev pointed out that both parliaments use model laws adopted within the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community, with this latter alliance uniting Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, and Tajikistan. The State Duma Speaker also revealed plans to establish a common parliament for the Eurasian Economic Community member countries, using the European parliament as a pattern.