RIYADH: A Saudi delegation is participating in a five-day world parliamentarians’ conference under the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which kicked off Saturday in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the meeting, and called for global unity to fight terrorism and militancy.
“Humanity is facing new vices; terrorism and militancy are costing human lives, while peace is seriously impeded,” said the prime minister, while addressing the lawmakers present from all over the world including Gulf states.
Key sessions of the IPU Assembly began Sunday with a focus on terrorism, extremism and how to end political and economic inequality.
“An eight-member Shoura delegation, led by Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan, the Shoura Council’s vice speaker, is taking part in the global parliamentarians’ forum,” said Bangladeshi Ambassador Golam Moshi Saturday.
Moshi, while speaking about the growing relations in the field of parliamentary affairs, said that Riyadh and Dhaka organized a joint parliamentary panel today.”
He expressed contentment over the Shoura delegation that is taking part in the conference. There are 687 members of 131 national parliaments of the world including the Shoura Council expected to join the five-day conference, organized jointly by the IPU and the Jatiya Sangsad (national Parliament of Bangladesh).
Participants also include 45 speakers, 37 deputy speakers and more than 200 women parliamentarians.
Referring to Saudi participation with special reference to the agenda of the IPU conference, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said: “The meeting aims to discuss a number of issues pertaining to the parliaments’ roles in preventing foreign interference in the internal affairs of the sovereign states and ways of enhancing international cooperation to support goals of sustainable development.”
The report said the Shoura delegation will also participate in the meetings of Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) parliamentarians to be organized on the sidelines of the IPU conference. The move is mainly intended to “coordinate stances” on a range of regional and international issues that have hampered efforts to ensure peace, security and economic equality across the world.
It is important to mention that all members of the GCC including the Kingdom are members of the IPU.
Referring to the agenda of the IPU conference, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, IPU president, said: “redressing inequalities, delivering on dignity and wellbeing for all” is the prime theme of the assembly.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi of India also spoke at the conference Sunday.
Bangladesh is hosting the conference for the first time since it joined this global forum in 1972. The IPU has 171 member states today.
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