Moscow, Sept 15: Indo-Russian trade, economic cooperation and ways and means to combat the scourge of international terrorism will be the focus of the Indo-Russian Inter-Parliamentary commission meeting to be co-chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi during his six-day Russia visit beginning today. An 8-member Indian Parliamentary delegation led by Joshi, which arrived here today to attend the Indo-Russian inter-Parliamentary commission, would hold talks on bilateral trade and ways to eliminate terrorism. The meet would be jointly chaired by Joshi and his Russian host State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov. The two speakers will also co-inaugurate "days of Indian culture" in the Russian State Duma.
Regular Parliamentary-level bilateral interactions have served as an important dimension of the Indo-Russian political ties, based on continuity, trust and mutual understanding and Joshi's Russia visit will carry forward the tradition of exchanges between the parliaments of the two countries, an Indian Embassy release here said.
In recent years, the speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha visited Russia in 1996 and twice in 1998. Duma Speaker Seleznyov visited India in 1997. In 2000 he visited India for the first meeting of the Indo-Russian Inter-Parliamentary Commission. In 1999 the chairman of Federation Council (Russian upper house) led a group of Russian regional governors to India in 1999.
Bureau Report