On the sidelines of P20 Summit, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Duarte Pacheco, presiding officers of Russia, European Union, Singapore, Turkey, Mexico, Netherlands and South Africa.
In his meeting with the IPU, Birla outlined that India pursues with the IPU a common agenda of promoting and supporting democratic governance and building strong parliaments to serve the people.
Birla also lodged a strong protest with European Parliament Vice President Nicola Beer over its resolution on India’s “internal issues”.
Birla told the European Parliament Vice President that every nation and Parliament is sovereign and internal issues of other countries should not be discussed by others.
In July, the European Parliament had adopted a resolution calling on the Indian government to act “promptly” to halt the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities. India’s continued participation in the diverse activities of the IPU and its committees reflects our commitment to furthering the purpose of the IPU, added Birla.
Birla suggested that democratic principles and multilateralism should be given priority and everyone should be given proper representation on global platforms.
Shared objective of both India and IPU is to democratise international governance structures that reflect current realities, informed Birla.
Birla also held bilateral talks with Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Speaking on the occasion, Birla thanked Matvienko for her contribution in making P20 a success.
He also commended her political experience and contributions towards Parliament and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Observing that India and Russia have long-standing deep relations, Birla said that both countries have stood together in times of crises.
He added that India and Russia also have strong relations in diverse fields like military, agriculture, energy, and science and technology.
Noting the mutual trust and close relations between leaders of India and Russia, Birla expressed hope that both India and Russia will continue to strengthen their mutual relationship by further expanding parliamentary diplomacy.
Birla also held bilateral discussions with the Vice President of the European Parliament Nicola Beer.
On this occasion Birla underlined India’s sovereignty and protested against bringing proposal in European Parliament on India’s internal issues.
He insisted that every nation and parliament is sovereign and their internal issues should not be discussed by others. Beer congratulated Birla for a successful P20 Summit and emphasised on closer relations of European Parliament with India. She also informed that Europe is going through challenging times and sought India’s cooperation. Birla invited Beer to watch the festival of democracy during the Indian general elections next year.
In his bilateral with Turkey, the Lok Sabha Speaker held bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart Kurtulmus, Speaker, Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Birla expressed gratefulness to Kurtulmus for attending the P20 Summit and commended his views towards Mahatma Gandhi.
Noting the historic and civilisational ties between India and Turkey, Birla noted that Sufi and Bhakti traditions are a shared cultural heritage of both nations.
He added that the relationship between the two nations will be further strengthened through the efforts of their people and parliamentarians.
Mentioning that Operation Dost is a symbol of India’s friendship towards Turkey, Birla hoped that Turkey will soon recover after the damage caused by the recent Earthquake.
Recalling the frequent Indian film shoots in Turkey, Birla observed that Turkey has emerged as a favorite place for Indian destination weddings. He added that tourism and cultural relations between India and Turkey will also be strengthened through parliamentary diplomacy.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla further held bilateral meeting with Seah Kian Peng, Speaker of Parliament of Singapore. Commending Singapore’s efforts in tackling climate change, Birla urged for promotion of clean and green energy by sharing technology.
He also stressed on increasing cooperation in trade, industry and green technology between the two countries.
Mentioning that India is a fast growing economy undertaking massive infrastructure expansion, Birla called for Singapore companies to explore investment opportunities in India in fields like solar energy and electric vehicles.
