New Delhi, Dec 8 (UNI) A parliamentary delegation from Zimbabwe National Assembly led by its Jacob Mudenda called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla here on Thursday.
During their meeting at the the Parliament House, the Speaker said that India and Zimbabwe have historically enjoyed close and friendly bilateral relations.
'There have been regular high-level visits between the two countries and India's economic ties with Zimbabwe are progressing. India is proud to be a trusted partner of Zimbabwe. This strong foundation is the basis of our bilateral relations which have expanded into political, economic, trade and investment as well as cultural, diplomatic and developmental cooperation," Birla said.
He also said that there has been a mutually positive and cooperative relationship between the Parliaments of the two countries.
The Speaker expressed hope that the two Parliaments would have a closer relationship in the future as well.
On the multi-faceted cooperation between the two democratic countries, Birla said that this cooperation should be further developed and deepened and more and more discussion and dialogue between the two Parliaments should be encouraged in the future as well.
On the bilateral relations between the two countries, the Speaker said that in the field of human resource development, India offers Zimbabwe more than 200 ITEC slots per year and the ITEC and ICCR scholarships are popular among Zimbabweans.A large number of students from Zimbabwe come to India to pursue education.
India is also an important partner in medical tourism for Zimbabwe, he added.
He also stressed on expanding cooperation in new areas including medical tourism besides working in new areas of cooperation such as tourism, organizing International Film Festival in Zimbabwe, International Day of Yoga, etc. to enhance people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
Mentioning India's glorious parliamentary tradition, Birla said that India is a strong, vibrant and world's largest democracy which represents the country's 1.3 billion population and expresses its hopes and aspirations.
"A strong committee system works in the Parliament of India, which helps the Parliament in examining the budget and other important policies and plans of various departments of the Government of India. Our parliamentary committees act as mini parliaments," he said.
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