Kumar Bahukhandi
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Ana Maria Mari Machado, Vice-President of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State, pose with delegates following their meeting ahead of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Photo: X/@loksabhaspeaker via ANI.
Discussions cover parliamentary exchanges, healthcare and technology as Cuba seeks support ahead of a UN General Assembly resolution against the US economic embargo.
Key Highlights
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla meets Cuban parliamentary leader Ana Maria Mari Machado in New Delhi.
- Talks focus on parliamentary exchanges, capacity-building, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
- Cuba’s diplomatic outreach comes ahead of a UN General Assembly resolution scheduled for October 27.
- Birla also meets Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.
- The Speaker highlights Sansad Bhashini and technology-enabled access to parliamentary proceedings.
- The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum is scheduled in New Delhi on October 26–27.
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla holds discussions with parliamentary leaders from Cuba and Russia ahead of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, focusing on legislative exchanges, capacity-building and opportunities for cooperation. His meeting with Cuban parliamentary leader Ana Maria Mari Machado on Sunday, October 25, 2026, comes as Havana steps up diplomatic outreach ahead of a United Nations General Assembly resolution against the United States’ economic embargo.
The meetings precede the BRICS Parliamentary Forum scheduled for October 26 and 27 in New Delhi, bringing parliamentary diplomacy into focus alongside wider international developments.
India and Cuba Discuss Parliamentary and Healthcare Cooperation
Birla meets Ana Maria Mari Machado, Vice-President of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power and the Council of State, to discuss cooperation between the two countries.
Following the meeting, the Speaker says they “discussed strengthening parliamentary exchanges, capacity-building and cooperation in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.”
The discussions identify legislative engagement and professional exchanges as areas for collaboration, alongside healthcare and pharmaceutical cooperation.
Cuba is participating in the BRICS Parliamentary Forum as a partner country of the grouping.
Cuba Seeks Support Ahead of UN Vote
The meeting takes place ahead of the UN General Assembly’s scheduled consideration on October 27 of Cuba’s resolution opposing the US blockade.
The Caribbean nation has intensified its diplomatic engagement with countries of the Global South as it seeks support for the resolution.
Two days before the meeting, Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera accused the United States of carrying out a naval blockade that, he said, had created an acute energy crisis in Cuba.
“Cuba is fully capable of defending itself. The US is practising the Monroe Doctrine in our region,” Aguilera said while appealing for support.
Although the parliamentary meeting takes place against this diplomatic backdrop, Birla’s account of the discussions identifies parliamentary exchanges, capacity-building, healthcare and pharmaceuticals as the subjects covered. No specific Indian commitment on the forthcoming resolution is stated in that account.
Birla and Volodin Review India–Russia Parliamentary Exchanges
Birla also meets Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of Russia’s State Duma, on Saturday, October 24.
The two leaders review exchanges between their legislatures against the backdrop of global and regional developments, with the approaching 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations providing an additional context for engagement.
The discussions place parliamentary contacts within the wider bilateral relationship and provide an opportunity to review cooperation between the two institutions.
Sansad Bhashini Highlights Multilingual Access
During the interaction with the Russian delegation, Birla outlines steps to make parliamentary proceedings accessible in different Indian languages through Sansad Bhashini.
According to a Parliament Secretariat statement, the Speaker highlights the importance of technology in making parliamentary functioning more accessible, efficient and people-centric.
The discussion draws attention to language accessibility as an important part of enabling citizens to follow parliamentary proceedings and engage with legislative work.
New Delhi Hosts BRICS Parliamentary Dialogue
The bilateral meetings precede the two-day BRICS Parliamentary Forum, offering participating leaders an opportunity to discuss cooperation alongside the main proceedings.
For India and Cuba, the talks highlight parliamentary capacity-building and sectoral cooperation. The India–Russia interaction focuses on legislative exchanges and the use of technology to widen access to Parliament.
Together, the engagements underline the role of parliamentary dialogue in maintaining international contacts and exchanging institutional experience.
