India, Uzbekistan Aim to Deepen Parliamentary and Strategic Partnership, Says Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

New Delhi, August 4:

India Uzbekistan Parliamentary Relations received a major boost on Tuesday as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held talks with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov at Parliament House. The leaders discussed strengthening parliamentary cooperation, trade, investment, education and cultural exchanges.

The remarks came during a meeting between Om Birla and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, at Parliament House on Tuesday. The discussions covered a broad range of issues, including parliamentary exchanges, economic cooperation, education, investment, culture and regional as well as global developments.

Highlighting India‘s democratic framework, Birla said the country‘s parliamentary system reflects the diversity and aspirations of more than a billion people. He noted that the 543-member Lok Sabha serves as the voice of citizens from across the nation, while the multi-party democratic structure ensures inclusive representation and meaningful debate on national issues. He also informed the visiting minister about the functioning of Parliament and the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The Speaker underlined India’s rapid progress in areas such as infrastructure, digital transformation, technology, connectivity and economic growth. He also pointed to the increasing global presence of Indian youth and the country’s expanding academic and institutional partnerships with universities around the world.

Referring to the India-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Friendship Group, established earlier this year, Birla said the platform is expected to strengthen engagement between lawmakers of both countries and create new opportunities for cooperation in trade, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Recalling his visit to Tashkent for the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in April 2025, Birla said interactions with Uzbekistan’s top leadership had laid the groundwork for closer parliamentary collaboration. He expressed hope that the current engagement would further elevate bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Bakhtiyor Saidov reiterated Uzbekistan’s commitment to broadening its strategic partnership with India. He praised India’s democratic institutions and said Uzbekistan is keen to learn from the legislative experience of the world’s largest democracy. He also called for greater cooperation in commerce, investment, joint development projects and emerging sectors to strengthen ties between the two countries.

As a symbolic gesture, the Uzbek Foreign Minister presented Om Birla with a commemorative publication documenting the 150th IPU Assembly hosted in Tashkent, highlighting the growing parliamentary engagement between the two nations.