Turkish parliament vice speaker displays interest in State Council group Mehermet

Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s vice speaker, Meral Aksener, has visited the State Council of Tatarstan. She met with SC chairman, Farid Mukhametshin, and deputies.

The Turkish delegation includes Turkish MPs, Turkey Consul General in Kazan. All the delegates represent various political parties.

Welcoming the visitors, F. Mukhamethsin briefed them on the Tatarstan parliament’s and republic’s construction and the region’s highlights. He gave to them an official letter addressed to Turkish Meclis chairman, asking him to visit the republic to establish new personal contacts and reinforce cooperation.

“We have a lot in common – similar languages, close cultures, religion, traditions, customs of our peoples who are the main factor of our deepening relations at the present stage,” he said, adding that Turkey’s experience had always been of great interest for Tatarstan.

Meral Aksener thanked the Tatarstan residents for the reception, noting the two regions had for a long time had historical and cultural relations. A lot in the development of the Turkish Republic and Tatarstan ran in parallel, she noted. The upcoming presidential election will be open, too. Heads of state have previously been elected by the legislature, while from now on a candidate will only have to be approved by at least 20 percent of MPs.

Deputy Turkish parliament speaker said she had last been in Kazan in 1992 on an unofficial visit. She said she had on her current visit noticed a lot of changes and was very glad that Turkish businesses had been part of the transformation.

She displayed a particular interest in the female group of MPs called Mercy (Merhemet), noting the experience would be of benefit for the Turkish parliament, since 70 of the 550 Turkish legislators were female. From herself and on behalf of the Turkish legislature she invited the Merhemet group to visit Turkey, to exchange experience.