Eighth Conference of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians inaugurated by President

The eighth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians (ASSP) was inaugurated under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo yesterday.

The main theme of this year’s conference is ‘Association of the SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians’. This conference is a platform for the parliamentarians of South Asia to work together to reach the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The conference will be held from 4-6 October.

The SAARC Speakers General Assembly also expects to hold discussions on ‘Promoting parliamentary diplomacy and open parliament in the age of digitalization’ and ‘SAARC parliamentarians’ role in preserving cultural and archaeological heritage in South Asia region’.

The Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians was set up in 1992 with the vision of promoting friendship and understanding among the people of South Asia, promoting coordination and exchange of information among parliaments and parliamentarians of SAARC countries and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on parliamentary procedures and practices of the region.

It is expected that the eighth conference, which is being hosted by Sri Lanka, will create a broad stage for Members of Parliament and the Speakers of Parliament of SAARC countries to join together and discuss regional cooperation.  

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya delivered the welcome speech at the inauguration.

A commemorative stamp was issued to mark the eighth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians.