RS Deputy Chairman Harivansh holds bilateral meetings at P20 Summit

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh held a series of bilateral meetings with presiding officers from the parliaments of Russia, Germany, Italy and hosts South Africa on the sidelines of the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in Kleinmond.

The meetings focussed on strengthening bilateral parliamentary cooperation and presented India's perspective on trade partnerships, technology and sustainable development.

In his meetings with various delegations, the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman also recalled the recent engagements with the Indian delegations comprising MPs who travelled to these countries to put forth New Delhi's stance on cross-border terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, a statement from his office said.

In his meeting with Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia Konstantin Kosachev, Harivansh recalled various productive engagements between the two countries and long-standing partnerships in key sectors.

In his meeting with Vice President of the Bundestag (the Lower House of Germany's Parliament) Omid Nouripur, he underlined the potential for more cooperation between the leading democracies and the successful engagement on trade and sustainable development partnership, the statement added.

The Rajya Sabha deputy chairman also sought Germany's support towards the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

The trade between the two nations on goods and services has crossed USD 50 billion. Germany also has a "Skilled Labour Strategy" that focuses on facilitating avenues for Indian professionals to come to the European country, it said.

Harivansh also interacted with the speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Thoko Didiza, and recalled the historic and strong bilateral ties between the two countries with a common outlook towards upholding international fairness, justice and the collective interest of developing countries, the statement said. India is among the top three trading partners of South Africa.

Earlier, Harivansh held a bilateral meeting with an Italian delegation led by Licia Ronzulli, Vice President of the Italian Senate, and spoke about the progress made particularly in the areas of trade and investment, education, defence, culture, academics and people-to-people ties. PTI SKC RC