New Delhi (India), February 11: Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Speaker of the People’s Majlis of Maldives, led a delegation from his country to India on Tuesday to witness the proceedings of the Indian Parliament. The delegation was warmly received by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
After attending the sessions in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Speaker Abdulla expressed admiration for the Indian Parliament’s use of digitisation and technology, particularly in leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI). He also made a request to Speaker Om Birla for assistance in digitising the Maldives Majlis’ archives. Birla assured the delegation that India would provide the necessary technological support.
Om Birla recalled his previous meeting with Speaker Abdulla during the IPU Assembly in Geneva in October of last year and reiterated the strong historical ties between India and the Maldives. Birla stated, “Maldives is not only a friendly neighbour of India but is also an important pillar of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘Vision Sagar.'”
Birla also briefed the delegation on the digital advancements adopted by the Indian Parliament in its functioning. He highlighted the ongoing training for Maldives Majlis members and officials at the PRIDE Institute of the Indian Parliament, underlining the strong partnership between the two nations. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed between the Parliaments of both countries to further enhance cooperation.
In his welcoming speech, Speaker Birla emphasized that the visit was a symbol of the deepening relations between India and the Maldives, aiming to strengthen the trilateral partnership between the two countries. He wished the delegation a pleasant and successful stay in India.
Tags: Maldives Parliament, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Om Birla, India-Maldives Relations, Digital Technology, AI, Parliamentary Cooperation, PRIDE Institute, Neighbourhood First Policy