The major agenda topic the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation paid its attention to on the last day of the Assembly meeting was the consideration of holding the 137th Assembly of the Organization in Saint-Petersburg (the Russian Federation) in autumn 2017. Being confident of triumphal decision of the forum, the Russian authorities sent Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko to take part in the meeting that day. The Russia's delegation planned to hold a number of victory-dedicated events and a large-scale press conference. It was expected that respective decision would be exclusively technical and the Leadership of the IPU would take the decision with an acclamation.
Instead, effectively using the provisions of the Procedure Rules of the Governing Council and overcoming certain counteraction of the Chair, the Verkhovna Rada delegation insisted on polling method vote for the decision. A number of delegations supported that demand. The Ukrainian parliamentarians had enough arguments to insist on its position: aggressive policy of the Russian leadership, regular infringement of human rights, insecurity of use of the IPU for the purposes of the Russian propaganda, etc. The Ukrainian delegation noted inadmissibility of holding the Assembly in Russia unless Ukraine and other Russia-interfered states' territorial integrity is restored.
Although the decision on holding the 137th Assembly was taken anyway, personal vote indicated that neither Russian proposal or Russia itself received particular support of the delegates. Over 60 delegations voted against, abstained or refused to take part in the vote. On the contrary, a number of delegations from African, Asian continents and mainly Russia's satellites expressed desire to visit Saint-Petersburg.
Having used their right to a remark, Ukrainian parliamentarians expressed their regret over the taken decision and stated they would boycott the 137th IPU Assembly meeting in Russia. They calledthe parliamentary delegations to follow the example of Ukraine.
Matviyenko had to seek for a silent and unnoticed leaving the event.
Besides, the meeting of the Governing Council of the Organization considered and approved the program and budget of the IPU, reports of specialized meetings participants and activity of other bodies of the IPU; elected two internal auditors for 2017 and three new Executive Committee members.
The final meeting of the Assembly considered and approved reports of all four standing committees and adopted a draft resolution of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights entitled Freedom of Women to Participate in Political Processes Fully, Safely and Without Interference: Need to Build Partnerships between Men and Women to Achieve this Objective.
The IPU's forum ended with a broadcast of speech of the Bangladeshi Parliament Speaker who invited the national parliamentary assemblies to take part in the 136th IPU Assembly in March-April 2017.