Speaker of Parliament concludes week-long visit to India

Wednesday, 21 January 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne concluded his visit to India from 14-18 January for participation in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in New Delhi.

This was his first visit to India after assuming office. He was accompanied by Secretary-General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera and Assistant Director – Administration Kanchana Ruchitha Herath. Following the 28th CSPOC from 14-16 January, the Speaker and his delegation visited Jaipur, Rajasthan, as a part of a two-day tour for CSPOC delegates from 17-18 January.

The 28th CSPOC was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 15 January at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament House Complex, New Delhi.

Welcoming Parliamentary leaders from across the Commonwealth, the Indian Prime Minister highlighted the success of Indian democracy in providing stability, speed, and scale. He shared India’s efforts at giving voice to the Global South and forging new paths of cooperation to co-develop innovation ecosystems. He underlined the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the Parliament of India to attract youth to understand Parliament. The Prime Minister expressed his confidence in the CSPOC platform for exploring ways to promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy.

The Conference, held under the theme “Effective Delivery of Parliamentary Democracy,” was chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, convened 44 Speakers and 15 Deputy Speakers from 41 Commonwealth countries, along with representatives of four semi-autonomous Parliaments.

During the Conference, participants addressed the role of Speakers in reinforcing democratic institutions, the integration of AI in Parliamentary functions, the influence of social media on Members, approaches to enhance public engagement with Parliament, and measures to ensure the security, health, and wellbeing of Members and Parliamentary staff.

On the sidelines of the Conference, Dr. Wickramaratne also held a bilateral discussion with Birla. The meeting focused on expanding Parliamentary cooperation through regular exchanges, formation of friendship groups, collaboration in policy and program design and deeper engagement in technology-driven Parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems, real-time multilingual translation, and capacity building through Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE).

The visit marked a significant milestone in the evolving Parliamentary partnership between India and Sri Lanka. Last year, two Parliamentary delegations visited India for orientation programs in May 2025 and August 2025, respectively. These visits, in line with the intent of the India – Sri Lanka Joint Statement on ‘Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future,’ further reinforce the strong democratic ethos and enduring friendship shared between the two nations.