Om Birla to lead Indian delegation at the tenth BRICS Parliamentary forum

New Delhi: In preparation for the Tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum (PF), which is scheduled to take place in St Petersburg, Russia, on July 11–12, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead the Indian Parliamentary Delegation (IPD).

The delegation will include Utpal Kumar Singh, secretary general of the Lok Sabha, Shambhu Sharan Patel, secretary general of the Rajya Sabha, and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh.

Anjani Kumar, joint secretary, Lok Sabha secretariat, will be the delegation’s secretary. The theme of the tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum is “The role of Parliaments in strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security”. Invited countries including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan will take part. Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), is scheduled to attend as well.

Birla, will address the Plenary Sessions on two sub-themes: ‘The BRICS Parliamentary Dimension: Prospects for Strengthening Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation’ and ‘The Role of Parliaments in Countering the Fragmentation of the Multilateral Trade System and Overcoming Threats Related to the Consequences of Global Crises’.

Harivansh, the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, will also address two subthemes: “Inter-Parliamentary cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural spheres” and “The role of Parliaments in enhancing the efficiency of the system of international relations and ensuring Its democratisation.” After the summit, a joint statement will be approved.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is anticipated to have bilateral talks with the presiding officers of the other Parliaments on the fringes of the Forum. He will also have meetings with Moscow, Russia’s Indian diaspora during his stay.