The establishment of two parliamentary commissions will help to expand public control over processes in the country

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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The establishment of two parliamentary commissions, to investigate the Beslan terrorist attack and on the North Caucasus, will help to expand public control over processes in the country, speaker of the Russian State Duma Boris Gryzlov announced at a Monday meeting with Alvaro Gil-Robles, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights. After the Beslan tragedy the State Duma decided to set up the two commissions, Mr. Gryzlov recalled. The investigative commission will study the circumstances that could have led to the tragedy. The North Caucasus commission will consider issues of social, economic and political development in the North Caucasus in general. The Duma pays serious attention to ensuring public control in all spheres of public life, Gryzlov pointed out. It regularly holds parliamentary hearings and roundtables, he said. The speaker thanked the commissioner for his stance concerning the tragic events in Beslan. His visit to Russia "testifies to constructive attitude to the processes ongoing in the Russian Federation," he emphasized. At the meeting it is necessary to discuss issues of "our cooperation," he said, as in early October the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold a session, where three reports on the situation in Chechnya will be considered. The European ombudsman, in his turn, put blame for the tragic events in Beslan on terrorists. He was glad to hear the news on the investigative commission being set up. "Even before the commission's conclusions it must be absolutely clear that the blame for the act of terrorism in Beslan lies on terrorists that seized the school and on those who sent them there and supported them," the commissioner said. He expressed his sympathy and condolences to all Russian people, emphasizing that "Russia has suffered a heavy and tragic blow." Recently Mr. Gil-Robles visited Beslan and offered the city's residents condolences on behalf of the Council of Europe, he said. The meeting was also attended by Russia's ombudsman Vladimir Lukin.