MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti) -The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, opened its spring session Wednesday.
Opening proceedings in the 450 member house, Speaker Boris Gryzlov said the session would be "difficult and intensive", which meant parliamentarians would have to work responsibly and energetically.
He also said the bicameral Russian parliament, the Federal Assembly, held its first sessions after the collapse of the Soviet Union opened exactly 12 years ago.
Deputies will debate about 600 bills in important fields, such as taxation, minerals, agriculture, competition, security, social welfare and counter-terrorism efforts during the session.
