Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to skip BRICS forum in New Delhi
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will not attend the 12th Brics forum in New Delhi due to “unforeseen circumstances”, the Iranian embassy in India announced on Saturday.The embassy said Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, would be unable to attend the meeting of speakers of the parliaments of Brics member countries. The embassy clarified that an Iranian parliamentary delegation would participate in the meeting in his stead.“As one of the members of Brics, Iran reaffirms its commitment to active and effective participation at the highest levels in the summits and meetings of this grouping,” the embassy said in a statement.“In this regard, the Iranian delegation will continue its dialogue and consultations with delegations from Brics member countries, with a view to expanding and deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of parliamentary relations and cooperation,” the statement read.
Iran also appreciated the Indian government for its hospitality and arrangements for hosting the meeting. The embassy wished the parliamentary forum success.“The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of the Republic of India for its gracious hospitality and the arrangements made to host this meeting. It wishes the meeting of speakers of the parliaments of Brics member countries every success and hopes that it will yield constructive outcomes towards strengthening cooperation and engagement among member countries,” the statement read.12th Brics parliamentary forum: Date, member countriesThe 12th BRICS parliamentary forum will be held in New Delhi on October 26–27 at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.
It will bring together parliamentary leaders and delegations from BRICS member and partner countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend, while Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will chair the meeting.The forum will focus on strengthening parliamentary cooperation, people-centric development, ethical artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation and reforms to global governance.The forum is expected to bring together parliamentary delegations from 11 BRICS member countries and 10 partner countries.
India, China, Russia, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates are among the member countries expected to be represented. Belarus, Malaysia and Uzbekistan are among the countries associated with Brics as partners.Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have also been reported as not participating. The forum is expected to end with a joint statement highlighting areas of agreement and cooperation.India hosted Brics Summit in DelhiIndia previously hosted the Brics Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attended alongside several world leaders, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto and other leaders and representatives from Brics member and partner countries also participated.PM Modi also held bilateral talks with Pezeshkian to discuss India-Iran relations and developments in West Asia.
India previously hosted BRICS summits in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
