A Member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg has announced a visit to Russia to meet with members of the State Duma

Fernand Kartayzer, an independent member of the European Parliament, is organizing a trip to St. Petersburg to meet with representatives of the Russian State Duma in early June. He has sent a letter to his colleagues inviting them to join the visit, which is scheduled to take place on June 3 on the sidelines of an economic forum. 

The relevant document was obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Europe editor, Rikard Jozwiak.

Kartayzer describes this event as a continuation of the successful and constructive meeting in Istanbul and asks interested MEPs to sign up by May 6. The politician also offers to assist colleagues in arranging accommodations and obtaining personal invitations to the forum in Russia. The letter was likely sent to participants of the previous fall meeting with Russian lawmakers, which drew criticism in the European Parliament. It remains unclear exactly who received the invitation, though Kartyzer is once again playing a key role in these contacts.

The European Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun, specifically in connection with the desecration of the Ukrainian flag.

On April 28, the European Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Romanian MEP Diana Shoshoake at the request of the Romanian authorities.