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The President and the Speaker of the Federal Assembly’s upper chamber discussed the status of the Federation Council’s membership in view of the new procedure for forming the chamber.

At the meeting, the two men also discussed the interaction between the Federal Assembly and the State Council. President Putin supported redistribution of the Federation Council’s authority and partial transfer of such powers to the State Council. According to the President, the State Council will remain the body charged with considering strategic issues subject to further legislative implementation. For its part, the Federation Council should operate in accordance with the Constitution and encourage a valid and balanced resolution of the issues set before it.

The President heard the report on preparations for the 5th Economic Forum in St Petersburg scheduled for next summer. He agreed that it was necessary to raise the profile of the event and advocated participation in the forum by the country’s political decision-makers. Mr Putin specifically agreed to chair the Board of Regents of the St Petersburg Economic Forum.

The President and the Federation Council Speaker also discussed the situation in the regions, particularly the Chechen Republic, and the upcoming meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in Minsk.