Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview on the occasion of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko’s birthday, Moscow, April 7, 2024

Question: What is Valentina Matvienko like? If you were to describe her, which qualities would you highlight?

Sergey Lavrov: Valentina Matvienko is a prominent public figure. She has come a long way through various levels of power in the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.

For many years now, Ms Matvienko has been heading the Federation Council successfully and effectively. She has gained respect in Russia and elsewhere around the world. This reflects her qualities, which combine the wisdom of a politician and a statesperson with woman’s wisdom, meaning her ability to show empathy in different situations. She gets involved in issues that need friendly help. Ms Matvienko is able to identify areas where the Federation Council and the Russian leadership could pay more attention to people.

This is absolutely in line with the goals that President Vladimir Putin outlined in his Address to the Federal Assembly. These goals have become an even more important part of our parliament and state’s activities.

Ms Matvienko has another quality that I would like to highlight which is her constant striving for new things. She is never satisfied with the decisions that had been taken once, decisions that require verification and follow-up measures. She never stops looking for additional creative approaches using her vast experience of working in St Petersburg, where Ms Matvienko engaged in numerous organisational and economic projects. She has many years of experience working in the Government, where she was in charge of the social sphere.

I am pleased to express hope that Ms Matvienko is also using her extensive diplomatic experience in her work. Before joining the Government led by Prime Minister Primakov, she served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Malta and Greece. She showed herself as a tough negotiator who, at the same time, understands the need to find a balance of interests. We do not impose our interests on the rest of the world. Others have taken this niche, but this time will go away soon.

With this kind of experience under the belt, in addition to addressing important tasks related to developing the state and improving living standards in the country, Ms Matvienko pays much attention to foreign policy issues.

Parliamentary diplomacy is making strides. The International Parliamentary Conference, Russia - Latin America, was held in the autumn of 2023. There are parliamentary dimensions to Russia-Africa cooperation, as well as BRICS, the SCO, the CIS, and the CSTO. There remains much to be done. Our parliamentarians are effectively exploring this area and contributing to the common efforts to fulfil the foreign policy goals set by President Vladimir Putin, which were updated on March 31, 2023 in the wake of the latest international developments and included in the new edition of Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept.