Parliaments could be bridges of understanding, ease international tensions: Om Birla

New Delhi: Parliaments can serve as bridges of understanding, ease international tension and help advance peaceful and constructive responses to global challenges, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Monday. Speaking at the BRICS parliamentary Forum, Birla highlighted the mounting challenges posed by regional conflicts, wars, economic instability, trade tensions, terrorism and climate change, and said the world was passing through a period of profound uncertainty.

"Parliaments, as vibrant expressions of the people's will, could serve as bridges of understanding, strengthen mutual confidence, ease international tensions and help advance peaceful and constructive responses to global challenges," he said. The Speaker made the remarks in the presence of representatives of BRICS member nations including Russia, Iran, and the UAE. The consequences of the uncertainties, Birla noted, transcended national boundaries and called for a spirit of collective responsibility. "In such a challenging global landscape, dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation assumes even greater significance," he said.