Role of Parliaments in Fostering Intercultural and Intercivilizational Dialogue: 16th Session of Asian Parliamentary Assembly to be Underway in Manama
26 January 2026
The 16th Plenary Session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) is taking place in the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Manama. The event focuses on the role of parliaments in advancing intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue across the region.
Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy addressed the session. He noted that granting mutual observer status to the IPA CIS and the APA had expanded opportunities for further cooperation between the organizations.
“Given that six out of the eight IPA CIS Member Nations are also members of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, this format of cooperation confirms the relevance of existing inter-parliamentary ties between our organizations,” he said.
Dmitriy Kobitskiy outlined the Assembly’s activities, including election and referendum observation. The International Institute for Monitoring the Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of the IPA CIS Member Nations (IPA CIS IIMDD), which has led this work within the Assembly for 20 years, will hold an international conference “Building Trust in the Institution of Elections and Referendums: the Role of International Observation” on 18–20 February.
The Assembly also actively promotes congressional activities: it regularly hosts major international forums covering a wide range of topics – from ecology and gender equality to education and culture.
Dmitriy Kobitskiy placed special emphasis on combating terrorism and extremism. On 20–21 May 2026, the Assembly’s headquarters in Saint Petersburg will host events on counter‑terrorism: a roundtable on deradicalization and social reintegration of individuals involved in terrorist and extremist activities and an international conference on legislative regulation of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for counter‑terrorism and radicalism prevention.
The Secretary General expressed the IPA CIS’s readiness for constructive dialogue and cooperation, and invited the APA leadership and delegations to participate in the Assembly’s upcoming events.
On the Side of the Session, Dmitriy Kobitskiy met with Secretary General of the APA Mohammad Reza Majidi. He underscored that strong and trust‑based relations had been established between the IPA CIS and the APA: “Our organizations are united by years of cooperation, which began in 2016 when a delegation of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly first participated in the work of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.” He noted that over the years, cooperation had become sustainable: the sides maintain regular high‑level contacts, hold bilateral meetings, participate in each other’s plenary sessions and working body meetings, and coordinate positions at international forums. During their dialogue, the officials discussed regional security, countering terrorism and extremism, and democracy development. Dmitriy Kobitskiy described the international congresses and forums organized by the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly on ecology, gender policy, sustainable development, linguistic integration, and cultural and creative industries. The parties exchanged views on prospects for further partnership and expressed shared interest in expanding multifaceted cooperation.
In separate meetings on the side of the event, Dmitriy Kobitskiy discussed key cooperation issues with Chair of the APA and Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, Secretary General of the Inter‑Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States Ramil Hasan, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Asaf Hajiyev, members of parliamentary delegations from the IPA CIS and the APA Member Nations.
He also met with Secretary General of the Arab Inter‑Parliamentary Union (AIPU) Ahmed Baabood.
The officials discussed strengthening cooperation between the IPA CIS and the AIPU, particularly prospects for formalizing relations, participating in each other’s events, and exchanging expertise across various fields.
The session is also attended by Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Alexey Dolzhikov and Head of the Expert and Analytical Department of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Denis Zhuk. The session will continue tomorrow.
