India hosts today and tomorrow the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum under the theme "Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centered Development."

Cuba is participating in the event in its capacity as a partner country of the intergovernmental bloc, with a delegation headed by Ana María Mari Machado, vice president of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP).

According to reports from the national press, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet with the leaders of the visiting delegations.

The day before, the Cuban parliamentary delegation held bilateral meetings at the delegation level with Om Birla, speaker of India's Lok Sabha (lower house), and with V. V. Volodin, chairman of Russia's State Duma.

At the meeting, headed by the president of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum and the vice president of the ANPP, the strengthening of parliamentary exchanges, capacity building and cooperation in the areas of health and the pharmaceutical industry were addressed.

Birla reaffirmed the importance of greater parliamentary interaction to continue strengthening the historic ties of friendship and solidarity between India and Cuba.

For her part, the also member of Cuba's Council of State thanked the Caribbean country for the invitation to the event on behalf of the president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo, and presented Birla, in that sense, with a letter from the Cuban parliamentary leader.

She denounced the unprecedented tightening of the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, with an energy siege that has a negative impact on the population and economy of the Caribbean country.

Nevertheless, she assured that the island, despite the difficulties, continues working for its development and reiterated the Caribbean nation's desire to be part of BRICS as a member state and to continue collaborating with the intergovernmental bloc for the benefit of the nations of BRICS and the Global South.

She also highlighted the historic relations between Cuba and India, rooted in their own histories and perspectives of countries with elements in common.

Subsequently, Ana Mari Machado held talks at the delegation level with V. V. Volodin, chairman of Russia's State Duma, to whom she conveyed Lazo's greetings, while congratulating him on the electoral results.

The vice president of the Cuban Legislature also thanked, on behalf of the delegation, Volodin's words in tribute to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, at the inauguration of the photographic exhibition in the Duma.

She also thanked him for the constant pronouncements and special monitoring of bilateral relations from the Duma and the Federation Council, as well as for the support of the just cause of the Cuban people against the blockade and the energy siege imposed by the United States.

The legislative delegation of the Caribbean country also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat memorial complex.

The forum, scheduled for October 26 and 27, will feature four high-level sessions on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.

A special meeting of chairs of parliamentary committees on international affairs will discuss parliamentary diplomacy, capacity building and the exchange of best practices.

The program will also include bilateral meetings, cultural events, among other activities.