Speaker Birla holds bilateral talks with Vietnam, Thailand

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday held bilateral meetings with Vietnamese MP Mai Dung Thai Quynh and Thailand Senate President Mongkol Surasajja to strengthen parliamentary cooperation and expand bilateral ties.

During his interaction with the Vietnamese MP and members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group, Birla highlighted the longstanding friendship between India and Vietnam rooted in shared cultural heritage and Buddhist traditions.

In separate social media posts, the Lok Sabha speaker said the discussions focused on parliamentary engagement, institutional collaboration and cooperation in trade, industry, information technology and artificial intelligence (AI), with an emphasis on ensuring that technological advancements

serve humanity and promote public welfare.

In his meeting with Surasajja, Birla reaffirmed the close ties between India and Thailand, underpinned by centuries-old cultural and civilisational links.

The two sides discussed cooperation in trade, tourism, education, defence, Ayurveda and yoga, with India’s Act East Policy providing fresh impetus to the partnership.

They also explored greater parliamentary cooperation, the exchange of best practices and collaboration in counterterrorism, disaster management and international affairs, including within the BRICS framework.

Birla expressed confidence that the interactions would further strengthen parliamentary partnerships and give fresh momentum to India’s relations with both countries.

Tuesday was the concluding day of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

On Monday, he held bilateral meetings with leaders of the UAE, China and Iran. PTI NAB- KSS

KSS