As it concludes its successful and productive chairmanship of BRICS, India hosted the group’s traditional meeting of parliamentarians in its capital on October 26–27, 2026.
Meeting between Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, and Om Birla, Speaker of the People’s Chamber of the Parliament of the Republic of India
A representative delegation of Russian parliamentarians from the new convocation, led by V.V. Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, took an active part in the forum’s proceedings.
The theme of the forum, which brought together representatives from 11 BRICS member countries and 10 BRICS partners, was “Strengthening the Role of Parliamentarians in Ensuring People-Centered Development.” Discussions took place during four plenary sessions:
Sustainability—the role of parliamentarians in maintaining the sustainability of state institutions for future development;
Innovation—the role of parliamentarians in promoting a people-centered approach to the development of innovations in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital technologies;
Cooperation—parliamentary cooperation as a tool for shaping a more representative system of global governance;
Sustainable development—parliament’s central role in building a sustainable and shared future for the members of the association.
Meetings and Contacts on the Sidelines of the Forum
In addition, the forum featured a meeting of representatives from the parliamentary committees on international affairs of BRICS members and partners, as well as bilateral contacts between delegation heads.
On the sidelines of the forum, the head of the Russian delegation held talks with many foreign colleagues, during which they discussed ways to strengthen interparliamentary dialogue and cooperation, including within various multilateral frameworks. The highlight of this series of substantive and productive meetings was a friendly and candid conversation between Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and Om Birla, Speaker of the People’s Chamber of the Indian Parliament and one of the organizers of the Delhi Inter-Parliamentary Forum. The parties held substantive discussions on the high level of interparliamentary ties between the two countries and the prospects for their further development, and agreed to hold the next meeting of the joint interparliamentary commission in the near future. The interlocutors also agreed to actively promote the strengthening of the parliamentary dimension of BRICS as an important unifying factor for this unique association.
Volodin and Om Birla noted that the parliamentarians of both countries must provide legislative support for the decisions made at the leadership level between Russia and India regarding the further deepening of the trust-based and specially privileged strategic partnership between the two close nations.
The importance and enduring significance of these dynamically developing, multifaceted bilateral relations—including within the framework of intensive interparliamentary dialogue—were emphasized during V.V. Volodin’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Issues of bilateral cooperation, including the parliamentary dimension, were also discussed during a conversation between the Speaker of the Russian State Duma and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
On the final day of the forum, V.V. Volodin met with Indian Vice President and Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament—the Council of States—C. Radhakrishnan.
Artificial Intelligence in the Service of People
The speech delivered by the Chairman of the Russian State Duma at the plenary session aroused great interest among parliamentarians, particularly his calls to seek common responses to contemporary global challenges and to build a multipolar and more just world order based on the principles of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation. Also, noteworthy was V.V. Volodin’s proposal—supported by his foreign colleagues—to enshrine in law, at the level of major international organizations, the principle that artificial intelligence must serve humanity rather than rule over it.
In this regard, he proposed, within the framework of the BRICS parliamentary dimension, the creation of an expert council comprising specialists in the field of AI.
Overall, the Russian representative’s remarks were in line with those of other forum participants—namely, the desire of BRICS parliamentarians to promote solutions to common problems and challenges through legislative cooperation, to contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the BRICS partnership, and to advance its stated goals and objectives in the interest of building a balanced, more just multipolar world order.
The recent forum served as a successful follow-up to the 18th BRICS summit held in September and an important platform for dialogue to uphold and advance the agreements reached at the heads-of-state level. The role of the BRICS parliamentary dimension was once again emphasized as one of the key instruments for the practical and legislative implementation of the initiatives and proposals put forward at the summit and the forum.
In line with the summit’s decisions, the parliamentarians—as they had done previously—unanimously adopted a joint statement outlining the priority areas of legislators’ work, as well as their role and contribution to further strengthening the BRICS partnership and shaping a more representative and equitable architecture of global governance.
It was noted that the adopted document condemns unilateral coercive measures and sanctions that contravene international law and calls for a reduction in tensions in the Middle East and West Asia.
It is noteworthy that, in a joint statement, the parliamentarians supported the Russian delegation’s initiatives to explore the possibility of creating a “BRICS Plus” geopolitical group within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as proposals to establish expert councils on AI issues and cooperation in sports.
The chairmanship of BRICS and its parliamentary dimension will pass to China next year.
Anvar Azimov, diplomat and political scientist, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Research Fellow at the Eurasian Training Institute of MGIMO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
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