Parliamentary Friendship Groups: Strengthening Parliamentary Diplomacy

1. Recently, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha announced the formation of Parliamentary Friendship Groups with more than 60 countries. This step marks a shift towards strengthening India’s parliamentary diplomacy, alongside traditional executive-led foreign policy.
2. What Are Parliamentary Friendship Groups?
   1. They are informal platforms of elected representatives created to promote cooperation between the legislatures of different countries.
   2. They allow Members of Parliament to directly engage with lawmakers from other nations.
   3. These groups do not replace formal diplomacy. Instead, they supplement government-to-government relations with continuous parliamentary interaction.
3. Core Objective of These Groups
   1. Deepen dialogue with foreign parliaments
   2. Build long-term institutional relationships
   3. Encourage regular exchanges across continents
4. How Do They Function: Indian MPs function in these groups by engaging with legislators abroad, exchanging views on legislative practices, sharing governance best practices, and building mutual trust through sustained interaction, which enables them to learn directly from each other’s experiences.
5. Areas of Cooperation: Trade and economic cooperation, Technology and innovation, Social policies, Cultural exchanges and Global challenges faced by democracies today.

FAQs

Q1. What are Parliamentary Friendship Groups? 

They are informal platforms of elected representatives that promote cooperation between legislatures of different countries, supplementing formal diplomacy.

Q2. Why are Parliamentary Friendship Groups important? 

They deepen dialogue with foreign parliaments, build institutional relationships, and encourage exchanges across continents, strengthening India’s parliamentary diplomacy.

Q3. How do Parliamentary Friendship Groups function? 

Indian MPs engage with legislators abroad, exchange views on legislative practices, share governance best practices, and build trust through sustained interaction.

Q4. What areas of cooperation do Parliamentary Friendship Groups cover? 

Trade and economic cooperation, technology and innovation, social policies, cultural exchanges, and global democratic challenges.

Q5. How do Parliamentary Friendship Groups differ from formal diplomacy? 

They do not replace government-to-government relations but act as a complementary channel, enabling continuous parliamentary engagement.