Russian parliament invites Facebook founder to address lawmakers

MOSCOW - Russia's Federation Council, the upper house of the parliament, has invited Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to speak at one of its plenary meetings, Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said Wednesday.

"We have sent an invitation and we will try to organize his arrival," Matviyenko was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.

"Whether he will be able to come is another question," she added.

The suggestion to invite Zuckerberg came from Senator Anton Belyakov, who said that the US billionaire might appear at one of the parliamentary "Hour of the Expert" events, in which guests normally address the lawmakers and hold a Q&A session.

Matviyenko said that the Federation Council may invite other well-known foreign experts to speak on topical issues.