President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called for enhanced parliamentary cooperation between Nigeria and Australia as a means of deepening bilateral relations.
Akpabio made the call while receiving the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Milton Dick, during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly in Abuja.
The Senate President said both countries share several democratic and institutional similarities, including membership of the Commonwealth, federal governance systems and bicameral legislatures.
He advocated stronger parliament-to-parliament engagements through legislative exchanges, committee cooperation and regular interaction between leadership of both legislatures.
According to Akpabio, parliamentary diplomacy can provide greater continuity and depth to bilateral relations beyond traditional diplomatic channels.
Earlier, Dick described Nigeria as the heart of Africa and commended its democratic leadership and contributions to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
