Delhi Bureau
NEW DELHI, 23 Feb: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted Parliamentary Friendship Groups with more than 60 countries in a major initiative aimed at strengthening India’s inter-parliamentary engagement and deepening democratic ties across the world.
The move seeks to complement traditional diplomacy with structured Parliament-to-Parliament dialogue, enabling lawmakers to engage directly with their counterparts abroad. The Friendship Groups comprise Members of Parliament from across party lines, reflecting a broad-based and inclusive approach to international outreach.
Senior leaders from various political parties have been appointed to head and represent these groups, underscoring the multi-faceted character of Indian democracy.
Senior leaders from across parties—including Ravi Shankar Prasad, P Chidambaram, Ram Gopal Yadav, TR Baalu, Gaurav Gogoi, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Manish Tiwari, Derek O’Brien, Asaduddin Owaisi, Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Shashi Tharoor, Anurag Thakur, Hema Malini and Praful Patel—among others, will lead these groups.
Countries covered in the first phase include Sri Lanka, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Maldives, the United States, Russia, the European Parliament, South Korea, Nepal, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Oman, Australia, Greece, Singapore, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
The initiative is designed to promote regular exchanges of legislative experience, best practices and dialogue on issues such as trade, technology, social policy, culture and global challenges.
The Speaker has consistently emphasised that parliamentary diplomacy enhances mutual understanding and reinforces democratic values in international relations.
The development builds on recent multi-party outreach efforts undertaken by PM Narendra Modi following Operation Sindoor, when delegations representing diverse political viewpoints projected a unified national position abroad.
While over 60 Friendship Groups have been formed in the first phase, further expansion is planned, signalling Parliament’s intent to institutionalise sustained global engagement rooted in democratic cooperation.
