27 Mar 2018 11:25

Medvedev to meet with all parliamentary factions ahead of gov't report in State Duma - Volodin

MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will have separate meetings with members of all four parliamentary factions ahead of the government report in the State Duma scheduled for April 11, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.

"On March 28, a meeting with the faction of the [Liberal Democratic Party of Russia] LDPR is planned to take place. On April 2, with the Communist Party faction. On April 4, with parliamentarians from A Just Russia party. And on April 6, with the United Russia faction," Volodin told Interfax on Tuesday.

Each faction has suggested its topics for discussion, he said. "So it [each faction] has defined the main subject and the set of the most important topics in order to have a thorough and serious discussion ahead of the reports into the State Duma," he said.

The LDPR faction selected demographics as the priority topic, the Communist Party decided to center on agricultural development, and A Just Russia picked up problems in the public utilities sphere, Volodin said. The United Russia proposed to discuss the 'life environment' subject, including infrastructural projects, as well as addressing any economy and social problems, he said.

Preliminary results of the meetings would enable the government and State Duma members from various political forces to better prepare for the April 11 report and to have it delivered in "a constructive manner."

Asked if the State Duma will pass a resolution with an assessment of government activity, Volodin said that no decision has so far been made.

There are various political forces in the State Duma "and it is known even today that their assessments of the government's activity may not coincide both in detail and in general," he said.

"But I think it is necessary to avoid the politicization of the discussion and time- and PR-serving statements," Volodin said.

Conclusions should be made based on a serious analysis of specific areas of the government's activity, he said. "Apparently, this presupposes a critical approach, but at the same time objective," he said.