New Delhi pushes for UN and WTO reforms

India has called for reforms to global governance structures such as the UN Security Council and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Speaking at the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg, Om Birla, the speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, also emphasized that strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation would “cultivate a more inclusive and democratic BRICS partnership.”

“BRICS, largely representing the interests of the developing world, stands for greater democratization of global governance system, and for reforming the international organizations,” Birla said.

He affirmed that India is committed to uniting emerging markets and developing countries, and said New Delhi is dedicated to the principles of mutual respect, understanding, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus while advancing the BRICS agenda.

“We should share our best practices, our experiences, to bring prosperity for everyone,” Birla emphasized. “We can strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation and make it more effective. Our parliaments can play a very important role in solving regional and global problems by creating strong institutions and enhancing inter-parliamentary cooperation, using modern technologies and building relations between people,” he added.

Birla welcomed the four new BRICS members, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, into the Parliamentary Forum, and lauded Moscow’s chairmanship of the organization for ensuring the seamless integration of the new members.

Speaking to RT on the sidelines of the event, Birla noted the positive outcomes of the bilateral summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week.

“India and Russia have a very traditional and ancient relationship, and India has always considered these relations to be important,” he said. The Lok Sabha speaker emphasized that the two countries have always discussed “the common interests of the world” and how to achieve global peace.