On Saturday, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko stressed that Russia was against any sanctions and any restrictions before an inter-parliamentary dialogue. She added that such measures violate rights and freedoms of parliamentarians.
In September, the Russian delegation canceled a visit to New York to take part in the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament Convened by the Inter-Parliamentary Union due to visa restrictions on Matvienko.
In 2014, Matvienko was added to the US sanctions list, which imposed travel bans and asset freezes on a number of Russian officials.
The IPU, which has the permanent UN observer status, is the international organization of parliaments aimed at establishing representative democracy. The organization comprises 166 members of world parliaments.
