The Chairman of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament), Rustam Emomali, who is also the Mayor of Dushanbe, took part in the ceremonial meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, which took place in St. Petersburg on April 18.   

Tajikistan’s state-run news agency Khovar reports that the ceremonial meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Federation Council (Russia’s upper chamber of parliament), Valentina Matviyenko.

During the event, a replica of the Victory Banner was brought into the hall, symbolizing the unity of the CIS countries at this important historical moment.

Speaking at the meeting, Rustam Emomali congratulated his colleagues and all those present on the anniversary of Victory, noting that the celebration of this date is an important historical tradition for all the countries of the Commonwealth of  Independent States.

He reportedly emphasized that for Tajikistan, this day is a symbol of unity and solidarity among the CIS countries in the defense of peace.

He also noted Tajikistan's contribution to the Great Victory, reminding that more than 300,000 Tajik soldiers went to the front, and over 100,000 of them perished.

Around 45,000 residents of Tajikistan were sent to work at factories in other regions of the former Soviet Union, most of whom were mobilized into the war from there.

In his speech, Rustam Emomali also emphasized that Tajik soldiers participated in the most important battles of the war, such as the defense of Moscow, the Brest Fortress, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol, and others, as well as in the liberation of Leningrad from the blockade.

Alongside this, adults, teenagers, and children in the rear worked day and night, mobilizing all available material, technical, and human resources to meet the needs of the front, he added.

Furthermore, Rustam Emomali emphasized that the population of Tajikistan, despite the harsh conditions, took in tens of thousands of women and children from republics on the front lines and took care of them.

The IPA CIS is a parliamentary assembly for delegations from the national parliaments of the member countries of the CIS.  The IPA CIS was established on March 27, 1992 in Almaty (Kazakhstan) under the terms of the Agreement signed by Heads of founding parliaments.  On May 26, 1995, CIS leaders signed the Convention on the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States] eventually ratified by nine CIS parliaments.  The overarching mission is law-making and alignment of national laws in the CIS.  The IPA is housed in the Tauride Palace in a historical landmark of Saint Petersburg.

The IPA CIS acts as the consultative parliamentary body of the CIS established to discuss problems of parliamentary cooperation.  Its activity concentrates on the development of the model legislation, which could then be implemented by the Member States on the voluntary basis, and serve as a tool of dissemination of the best practices across the CIS.  The Assembly is involved in the development of integration processes in the CIS.  The IPA CIS regularly hosts specialized conferences, seminars and symposiums, which provide a platform for debate of the governmental and non-governmental actors.  Another mission of the IPA CIS is election monitoring.