Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lazar Comanescu on Tuesday met President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Saber Chowdhury, praising IPU for being a global forum for parliamentary dialogue, cooperation and action in support of peace, cooperation and consolidation of representative democracy.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) quotes Comanescu as highlighting in a press statement Romania’s 125th IPU membership anniversary, as well as Romania’s constant contribution to the debate on current global affairs, including at a parliamentary level.
“At the meeting, the Romanian chief diplomat mentioned the very important part of the national parliaments in meeting the commitments pledged by the national executives, also pointing to the importance of cooperation between national governments and parliaments to promote domestic and international agendas. He also praised IPU for being a global forum for parliamentary dialogue, cooperation and action in support of peace, cooperation and consolidation of representative democracy,” says MAE.
The IPU president mentioned the remarkable contribution of Romanian personalities in time to the activity of IPU, pointing to the role of parliamentary dialogue in consolidating security and cooperation in Europe.
“Chowdhury thanked Romania for constant support to facilitating bigger interaction between the UN, national parliaments and IPU, by supporting resolutions to that end in UN forums. He congratulated the Romanian Parliament on passing a declaration on the UN sustainable development goals, as Romania is the first country to express national political support for the implementation of the global objectives by doing so,” says MAE.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a world organisation of national parliaments created in 1889 as a first standing forum for multilateral political negotiations.
Inter-Parliamentary Union President calls Romanian MPs to give politics a human face
IPU President pleaded on Monday in the Romanian Parliament for the promotion of tolerance, inclusion and solidarity and invited the MPs of IPU member countries to keep looking for solutions to improve the lives of their voters and to collaborate in giving politics a human face.
In a solemn joint session of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies to celebrate 125 years of IPU membership of the Romanian Parliament, Chowdhury stressed Romania’s active involvement in the IPU’s work ever since its affiliation in 1891.
The IPU is based on the idea that true dialogue can solve problems and contribute to the world’s peace and stability, the President said. Among the current goals of the IPU, he mentioned the role of women, youth and ethnic minorities in parliaments. As the world is growing smaller and more complex, global and local become equivalent, thus regional cooperation is also very important, he added.
Chowdhury also mentioned the fight against corruption, still as important as it was in 1995, when it was entered in the resolution of the IPU Assembly in Bucharest; also, the sustainable growth, the agreement on climate changes, the issues of women, of education, of environment, and of partnership.
The IPU has 17 goals, 197 targets and hundreds of indicators, but goals do not state the means to reach them, and every country has its own way, the President asserted; cooperation and parliamentary democracy are nevertheless essential, and there is no alternative to it, he added.
Finally, Chowdhury pleaded for the youth’s involvement in politics to rejuvenate democracy.
