Tehran/New Delhi, Oct 24: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi next week due to “certain unforeseen circumstances”, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi stated on Saturday.
The Parliament of India will host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on October 26-27 in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan. “The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi wishes to inform that, due to certain unforeseen circumstances, H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi,” read a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy on Saturday.
“It is also emphasised that the parliamentary delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran will participate in the meeting. As one of the members of BRICS, Iran reaffirms its commitment to active and effective participation at the highest levels in the summits and meetings of this grouping,” it added.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the country’s delegation will continue its dialogue and consultations with delegations from BRICS member countries in New Delhi, with a view to expanding and deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of parliamentary relations and cooperation.
“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of the Republic of India for its gracious hospitality and the arrangements made to host this meeting. It wishes the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries every success and hopes that it will yield constructive outcomes towards strengthening cooperation and engagement among member countries,” the statement added.
Several global parliamentary leaders will assemble in New Delhi for the conference being hosted under India’s chairship on the theme of people-centric development. Earlier this week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla mentioned that the conference marks a new chapter in the history of India’s parliamentary diplomacy.
It will bring together Presiding Officers and parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.
The Lok Sabha Speaker stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would grace the event and meet the leaders of the visiting delegations. He further stated that the conference would feature bilateral and multilateral interactions with the leaders of visiting delegations and parliamentary friendship groups.
A meeting of the Secretaries of the delegations will be held on Monday to finalise the Joint Statement of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum. Highlighting the central theme of the programme, he said that the forum would deliberate on the overarching theme of ‘Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development’.
He added that, building on the legacy of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum would facilitate consensus-based dialogue through four high-level sessions, titled Resilience: The critical role of parliaments in strengthening institutions to ensure a better future; Innovation: Promoting human-centred innovation in artificial intelligence and digital technologies through parliaments; Cooperation: Ensuring a more representative system of global governance through parliamentary cooperation; and, Sustainability: The role of parliaments in ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for our countries. Members of the delegations will visit the Parliament of India and also enjoy cultural visits in Delhi.
IANS