India, Russia reconsider parliamentary diplomacy, appointed officers to meet more often

India and Russia, on Monday discussed the need to further increase their parliamentary diplomacy and encourage time to time meetings between the selected representatives of both the nations, a statement said. Sumitra Mahajan, Lok Sabha speaker, on Monday, co-chaired the Fifth Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission with Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of Federal Assembly of Russia.

“Such enhanced contacts and bilateral visits, would give opportunities to parliamentarians to interact with the various sections of the host country, helping to provide a people’s perspective to our relations and to take them to a new height,” the statement issued by Mahajan revealed.

She further said, “We have noted with satisfaction the progress in India-Russia relations and have agreed to continue this trajectory of closer cooperation, coordination and consolidation of gains to surge ahead with the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership of India and Russia for mutual prosperity of the people of both countries,”

The Commission also “felt that engaging the youth and women in vital areas of development would go a long way in fostering development and bilateral relations”. The deliberations, as per Mahajan, will be a defining step in finding lasting solutions for key issues.