By IANS
Brussels : The European Parliament (EP) is keen on establishing a forum to boost parliamentary cooperation with India.
EP president Hans-Gert Poettering has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee urging him to set up a body in India parallel to the EP's Delegation for Relations with India, the Inepnext news agency reported.
Neena Gill, who heads the Delegation for Relations with India, quoted Poettering as saying that as the two largest democracies in the world, India and the European Union needed to have regular parliamentary interactions.
The European Parliament decided to form the Delegation for Relations with India in March. The 22-member body met in Brussels Monday evening.
The meeting chaired by Gill discussed a number of issues such as the EU-India troika meeting held in Berlin May 31, the EU-India civil society dialogue, the EU-India free trade accord and the EU-India summit in New Delhi in November.
Members of the delegation also exchanged views on work priorities in 2007. They are expected to make their first visit to India in August.
On April 25, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam became the first Indian president to address the European Parliament.