Camp Jakarta; October 7 : Addressing the Closing ceremony of the 8th Summit of Speakers of G-20 Parliaments (P20) in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said that the summit which began on 6 October 2022 concluded with a purposive note that the spirit of mutual cooperation is the foundation of success of G-20. He congratulated the Parliament of Indonesia for the successfully organizing and orderly conduct of the G20 Summit.
Speaking on India’s glorious journey of democracy in the last 75 years, Shri Birla said that smooth transfer of power according to people’s mandate has been a specialty of our Constitution and democracy. He further said that our Parliament protects the interests of the citizens of the country and guides in making laws and policies to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people.
On the strategies to deal with the challenges being faced by the world in the 21st century, Shri Birla observed that we should all lay emphasis on shared efforts, regular sharing of best practices and dialogue to deal with the future challenges. Regular dialogue and shared efforts among ourselves should guide our Parliaments to innovate within our sovereignty and to tackle and solve challenges, Shri Birla added.
Shri Birla reiterated that India believes that global prosperity, economic opportunities and challenges are interlinked subjects. He opined that Parliaments of the G-20 Member countries should collectively contribute to the strengthening of parliamentary and community participation mechanisms in governance, taking into account shared visions and their concerns,
Inviting his counterparts to the ninth summit of the G20 next year, Shri Birla said that India looks forward to welcoming all the representatives of the P-20 countries next year.
During the summit, Shri Birla interacted with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Thailand National Assembly, H.E. Chuan Leekpai. During the meeting, Shri Birla congratulated Mr. Leekpai on the completion of ninety years of the House of Representatives of the Thailand National Assembly and emphasized on the strengthening of parliamentary cooperation between India and Thailand. Noting that India’s Act East Policy and Thailand’s Act West Policy complement each other, Shri Birla emphasized on strengthening ties in global fora including IPU. Improvement of port connectivity, cooperation in infrastructure development, energy security and many other issues of mutual interest were also discussed by the two leaders. Shri Birla also expressed condolences on the killing of innocent children in the recent Bangkok shooting incident.
Shri Birla also met the President of IPU, H.E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco, on the concluding day. Appreciating the initiative of the IPU President to strengthen the IPU as a global platform, Shri Birla said that under Mr. Pacheco’s leadership, IPU has become a platform to raise the voice of the common man. Shri Birla emphasized on a common action plan to tackle issues of global concern like climate change. He also discussed about capacity building of legislators and officials through PRIDE, Lok Sabha Secretariat and strengthening research in legislatures. Several other issues related to strengthening parliamentary democracy were also discussed in the meeting.
Shri Birla also met Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji, H.E. Mr. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indian Ocean, sharing best parliamentary traditions and strengthening bilateral cooperation. The contribution of the Indian Diaspora to the development of Fiji was also discussed.
Later Shri Birla was felicitated by the Indian community in Jakarta. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Birla said that the Indian community in Indonesia, with their hard work, innovation and innovative thinking, is making a significant contribution to Indonesia’s economic progress. He urged the Indian community in Indonesia to make efforts to invest in various sectors in India, inform Indonesian companies and Indonesian citizens about India’s emerging potential. He called upon them to work for the prosperity of Indonesia as well as motherland, India.
