Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan said on Tuesday that he maintains “very good and respectful” relations with his Russian counterpart, Valentina Matviyenko, and that the main reason for phoning her earlier this month was to convey birthday greetings.

Simonyan was asked at a press briefing to elaborate on the phone call, as the readout did not mention specifics.

“The phone call was made on the occasion of my colleague’s birthday. I must say that I have very good and respectful relations with the head of the Federation Council, and we always speak openly and directly, within a framework of mutual respect. In a few days, I will be traveling to Istanbul, and she will also be there. I assume we will interact there. This is not about an official meeting, but simply about informal interaction,” Simonyan said, referring to his upcoming visit to Türkiye for the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly.

Simonyan spoke by phone on April 7 with the Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matviyenko.

Simonyan earlier said that meetings with his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts are also expected during the IPU Assembly.