Parliament of India welcomes Lord Vaea, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tongs

Lord Vaea, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, has arrived in India for his first official overseas engagement. Invited by H.E Shri Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Lord Vaea is participating in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), hosted by the Parliament of India from January 14-16, 2026.

As the newly appointed Speaker for this new term, Lord Vaea's attendance at CSPOC is crucial and timely as it provides him with a vital platform to learn and exchange best practices with other Speakers on governance of and presiding over a Parliament. It is also an opportunity to address shared challenges from strengthening democratic institutions to the use of Artificial Intelligence, to the effects of social media on parliamentary proceedings and politics.

It is also an ideal chance for the new Speaker to strengthen bilateral relations with the Speaker of India as well as Speakers of 43 Commonwealth member nations who are also attending CSPOC.

During the 28th CSPOC, Lord Vaea will also be representing the Pacific geopolitical region's interests at the executive meeting of the CSPOC Standing Committee where Tonga is currently the Pacific representative, together with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.

Lord Vaea and his delegation which includes the Deputy Clerk Dr. Sione Vikilani and Legislative Counsel, Ms. Silivia Atiola were warmly received by H.E. Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Honourable Member of Parliament of the Lok Sabha at Indira Ghandi Airport on 13 January 2026.

The delegation's participation at CSPOC is funded by the Government of India, through its High Commission in Suva as well as New Zealand's Tai a Kiwa Programme .

Photo courtesy 📷: Lok Sabha Secretariat Facebook page.