New Delhi, 16 October (Hindustan Reporter). Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is leading the Indian parliamentary delegation to the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, paid homage at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Geneva. On this occasion, he said that even today world leaders and nations get inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, the symbol of peace and non-violence. He said that Gandhiji's teachings remind us beyond the boundaries of time and place that global challenges like climate change, gender equality or conflict can be solved only through unity, sensitivity and cooperation.
Lok Sabha Speaker shares views on issues of parliamentary interest with Presiding Officers of Parliaments of various countries
While interacting with Eric Nussbaumer, President of the National Council of Switzerland, Birla mentioned that last year, 75 years of friendship treaty between India and Switzerland were completed. He stressed on further strengthening bilateral relations and increasing cooperation on multilateral platforms. Urging to further strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, Birla said that this is an important dimension of the strong relations between the two countries.
Expressing satisfaction over the growing Swiss investment in India, the Lok Sabha Speaker expressed hope that the investment will increase further in view of the ease of doing business and large-scale infrastructure development in India in recent years. He lauded the Swiss-India Parliamentary Friendship Group for enhancing closer ties between India and Switzerland.
During his meeting with Mongkol Surasaja, President of the Senate of Thailand, Birla shared views on multi-faceted bilateral relations between the two countries in a number of areas including trade and investment, connectivity, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Did it. The Lok Sabha Speaker also talked about the cultural, linguistic and religious ties between India and Thailand. Noting the importance of Buddhism in strengthening the ties between the two countries, he said a large number of pilgrims from Thailand come to India for spiritual pilgrimage. Noting the need to strengthen parliamentary relations, he invited members of the Thai Parliament and officials to attend training courses organized by PRIDE.
During his conversation with President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alan Simonyan, Birla talked about the cordial relations between India and Armenia based on shared values and the feeling of deep friendship between the people of the two countries. He emphasized that India has immense opportunities due to its young population and political stability, hence there is scope for enhancing trade and investment partnership between the two countries. Birla said both countries can benefit from India's changing economic landscape by promoting partnership in the areas of trade and investment.
Talking about the shared democratic values of both the countries, Birla said that for a strong democracy, it is necessary to have a strong parliamentary system. Referring to the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Birla said that it was the biggest electoral process in the history of the world. He said that Indian elections are like a festival due to the participation of such a large number of people.
During his meeting with Maldives People's Majlis Speaker Abdul Rahim Abdullah, Birla said India and Maldives have historically had close relations, which have been instrumental in the welfare of the citizens of both the countries. The Lok Sabha Speaker expressed confidence that sharing best parliamentary practices will help in improving democratic systems. He also talked about increasing Maldives' participation in the training programs organized by the PRIDE Institute of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, saying that this would help in further promoting democratic principles in both the countries.
Noting that India has always been the first country to help Maldives in times of need, Birla said that both the countries are bound by the common values of democracy. He also said that partnership for development has been the strong foundation of relations between the two countries. Birla said that in the last few years, whether at the top leadership level or at the delegation level, communication between the two countries has increased and cooperation has strengthened. He also said that the visit of the Honorable President of Maldives to India a few days ago has given a new dimension to the relations between the two countries.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also met Narayan Prasad Dahal, Speaker of the National Assembly of Nepal. Emphasizing that India and Nepal are not only neighboring countries but also custodians of shared history and culture, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha noted the deep emotional connect between the people of the two countries which has led to strong relations between the two countries and Have become stronger. He also highlighted the need for mutually beneficial dialogue between the two Parliaments. He said that purposeful dialogue between the parliamentarians will further strengthen the close relations between the two countries and strengthen democratic values. Birla also said that Nepal has a prominent place in India's “Neighborhood First” policy. He also reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthen the special relations between the two countries in all fields.