Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to attend BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead an Indian Parliamentary delegation to the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum to be held in Russia's St. Petersburg from Thursday.

The delegation will comprise Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Rajya Sabha member Shambhu Sharan Patel, Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh and Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody.

The theme of the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum is 'The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security'.

Presiding Officers of parliaments from BRICS countries and invitee nations -- Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan -- and the President of Inter-Parliamentary Union, Tulia Ackson, will participate in the meeting.

Birla is scheduled to 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 will address the plenary sessions on two sub-themes -- 'The role of Parliaments in enhancing the efficiency of the system of international relations and ensuring its democratization' and 'Inter-parliamentary cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural spheres'.

The Lok Sabha speaker will also meet members of the Indian Diaspora in Moscow.