The third session of the Russian-Serbian inter-parliamentary commission will be held on Tuesday in Moscow's downtown Okhotny Ryad. The session will be opened by Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and President of the Serbian National Assembly Maja Gojkovic.

Head of the State Duma's Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told journalists earlier that the session will focus on developing inter-parliamentary cooperation, situation in Europe and on the Balkans, as well as cooperation in international organizations, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Parliamentary Assembly and CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) Parliamentary Assembly.

Before the start of the session, Gojkovic will make a speech at State Duma's plenary session. "This will be the fourth speech of a foreign speaker from the platform of the Russian parliament of the seventh convocation," Slutsky noted.

He added that "Serbia is Russia's traditional partner." "We are closely cooperating in all spheres, including in the field of parliamentary diplomacy. Our contacts are regular and frtuitful. I had an honor to meet with Ms. Gojkovic recently on the sidelines of the third session of parliament speakers of Eurasian countries held in Antalya," Slutsky said.

At the session of parliament speakers of Eurasian countries, Gojkovic thanked Russia for support on the international arena, including around the situation with Kosovo, and called for lifting Western sanctions from Russian parliament members.

The commission on cooperation between the Russian State Duma and the Serbian National Assembly was founded at the end of 2015.