At the meeting Saint Petersburg was represented by Deputy Chairman of the Committee on External Relations of St. Petersburg Mr. V.Kalganov, Deputy Chairman of the Health Committee of St. Petersburg Mrs. T.Zasukhina, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policies and Interaction with Public Organizations Mr. O.Omarov.
Parliamentarians from Armenia, Bangladesh, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, India, Italy and Rwanda as well as representatives of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the World Health Organization and the international organization UNAIDS also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, members of the Advisory Group shared their impressions with the city authorities about the visit to the St. Petersburg clinic engaged in combating and preventing HIV/AIDS. Foreign experts talked with the management of the clinic, doctors and patients.
MP of Italy Mrs. Pia Lokateli praised the work of the clinic, especially noting the technical support of the medical center and the high professionalism of the staff. Mrs. Lokateli appealed to international experience suggesting focusing on HIV prevention in educational institutions. She noted that this is the most effective tool to reduce the level of HIV infection.
Member of the Parliament of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Dr. Md. Habib Millat touched upon issues of HIV incidence, adding that in St. Petersburg its level is generally much lower than in other regions of Russia. He mentioned that one of the most important problems Bangladesh is facing today is early marriage. Also a member of Bangladesh parliament thanked Russia for the help of the Soviet Union in the struggle for Bangladesh independence in 1970s.
In response, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Health Mrs. Tatiana Zasukhina said that St. Petersburg City Administration pays great attention to the development of the health care system. She briefly presented an overview of the Committee activities, in particular, about interaction with NGOs and involving St. Petersburg young people in all-Russian actions aimed at HIV prevention and diagnosing.