On May 21-22, 2026, a delegation from Turkmenistan, led by Chairperson of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan D. Gulmanova, visited St. Petersburg, Russia, to participate in a meeting of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the 60th plenary session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS (IPA CIS).
On May 21, a meeting of the IPA CIS Council was held at the Tauride Palace, the headquarters of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly. The heads and members of the official delegations of the parliaments of the CIS countries participated at the meeting.
During the meeting, a substantive and engaging exchange of views took place on current issues of cooperation in the legislative sphere. Participants discussed the results of the IPA CIS's work in 2025 and other agenda items.
On May 22, the 60th plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly was held. The session was opened by the Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, V. Matviyenko. The session then featured welcoming addresses by the heads of parliamentary delegations from the IPA CIS member states, heads of delegations from partner organizations, and distinguished guests.
Speaking at the session, the Speaker of the Mejlis noted that permanently neutral Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the use of parliamentary diplomacy tools and the exchange of experience between the legislative bodies of the CIS countries. The Speaker of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan informed the participants of a number of large-scale events planned for Turkmenistan this fall, including those organized by the IPA CIS. In this context, D. Gulmanova respectfully extended invitations to the heads of the IPA parliamentary delegations to participate. The invitations were gratefully accepted.
The heads of parliamentary delegations expressed confidence that the effective use of parliamentary diplomacy's potential will contribute to the implementation of the agreements reached, stability, and the progressive development of the CIS member states. In this context, the speakers emphasized the need to enhance the effectiveness of interaction within the Interparliamentary Assembly.
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On the sidelines of the meetings, bilateral meetings were held between Speaker of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan D. Gulmanova and Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation V. Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus N. Kochanova, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan M. Ashimbayev, Chairman of the Zhogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic M. Mamataliev, Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan F. Idizoda, and Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council D. Kobitsky. During the talks, the parties discussed the development of interparliamentary relations between the countries, both bilaterally and within the CIS.
The participants highly praised the contribution of the National Leader of the Turkmen People to strengthening bilateral contacts, including interparliamentary ties. In particular, V. Matviyenko emphasized that thanks to the energy, efforts, and initiatives of Hero Arkadag, important meetings and conferences have been held in recent years, providing new impetus for women's parliamentarianism, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and other pressing issues.
The role of interparliamentary dialogue in strengthening multifaceted interaction and strategic partnership was emphasized. The parties also focused on the activities of interparliamentary friendship groups, discussed strengthening ties between parliamentary committees, and exchanged experiences in implementing national development programs.
