Iran’s Embassy in India announced on Saturday that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would not attend the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi
The forum will be held on October 26–27 at Samvidhan Sadan, with discussions on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, global governance and sustainable development
The embassy’s announcement did not provide a detailed explanation for Ghalibaf’s absence or clarify whether another Iranian representative would lead the delegation
Iran’s Ghalibaf Cancels India Visit Days Before BRICS Parliamentary Forum
The Iranian Parliament Speaker’s absence comes ahead of the October 26-27 meeting in New Delhi, which will bring parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries to India.
Summary
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will not attend the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, the Embassy of Iran in India announced on Saturday, two days before the meeting is scheduled to begin.
The embassy announced the development in a post on X. No further details about Ghalibaf’s absence were available in the announcement.
The forum will be held on October 26 and 27 at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the Parliament of India, under India’s BRICS chairship. The Lok Sabha Secretariat announced the schedule on Thursday, saying parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries would participate in the meeting.
Forum Agenda
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the forum would focus on the theme “Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development”, with discussions spanning institutional resilience, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, global governance reforms and sustainable development.
The programme will include four high-level sessions on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Parliamentary delegations are also expected to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions, while the chairpersons of international affairs committees from participating parliaments will meet to discuss parliamentary diplomacy, capacity building and the exchange of best practices.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the forum and interact with visiting delegation leaders, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The meeting will conclude on October 27.
Parliamentary Diplomacy
The gathering is intended to strengthen cooperation among BRICS legislatures and provide a platform for discussions on shared international challenges. India is hosting the forum as part of its BRICS chairship, following the BRICS summit held in September.
Ghalibaf’s absence removes Iran’s parliamentary speaker from the planned gathering, although the embassy’s announcement did not clarify whether another Iranian representative would attend in his place.
The forum is set to proceed with parliamentary delegations from BRICS member and partner countries, with discussions focused on institutional cooperation, technology and global governance.
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