New Delhi [India], January 13 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met parliamentary delegations from South Africa and the Caribbean nation of Grenada, who are in India on the occasion of the 28th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference (CSPOC).

The Speaker extended a warm welcome to the delegation led by L Govender, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the South African Parliament, Vice-Chairperson Annelie Lotriet, and Dessima Williams, President of the Senate of Grenada.

On this occasion, the delegation celebrated the traditional festival of Lohri with the Lok Sabha Speaker and observed the custom of fire worship. Highlighting the importance of Indian culture and festivals, the Speaker said that Indian festivals and cultural dialogue strengthen global fraternity, mutual respect, and human values. During the meeting, cordial bilateral discussions took place between India and South Africa, focusing on strengthening democratic values, parliamentary cooperation, and mutual understanding. Both sides reiterated their commitment to advancing historic friendly relations and a strategic partnership, as per the statement of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The Lok Sabha Speaker noted that the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela connect the two countries through the values of democracy, social justice, and inclusion. Cooperation between India and South Africa on multilateral platforms such as BRICS and the G20 was described as a strong foundation of trust and partnership between the two democracies. The two sides agreed on regular exchanges of parliamentary delegations and sharing legislative best practices.

The meeting also discussed enhancing cooperation in training and capacity building of Members of Parliament and parliamentary officials through the PRIDE institution of the Indian Parliament. Additionally, interest was expressed in sharing India's experiences under the Digital Parliament initiative, including AI-based technologies, multilingual translation, and citizen-centric parliamentary services. Confidence was expressed that this dialogue would infuse new energy into India-South Africa parliamentary relations, the statement said.

In the same sequence, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also met Dr. Dessima Williams, President of the Senate of Grenada. Several important issues were discussed during the bilateral parliamentary dialogue between the two countries. Dr. Williams conveyed her greetings on the New Year and the festival of Lohri, and also extended congratulations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term.

Lok Sabha Speaker said that the participation of nearly 900 million voters in the general elections is a vivid example of the strength of Indian democracy. Dr. Dessima Williams expressed interest in visiting India, particularly Rajasthan, and highlighted the deep popularity of cricket between India and Caribbean countries. She said that Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah are role models for Caribbean youth. The meeting also discussed strengthening democratic values and parliamentary cooperation, addressing shared challenges of Global South countries, and the need for dialogue and cooperation.

The Grenada delegation showed special interest in the Indian Parliament's PRIDE institution and in the Digital Parliament, AI, and multilingual parliamentary facilities. Both sides expressed confidence that this dialogue would give new direction and momentum to India-Grenada parliamentary and bilateral relations. (ANI)