Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today inaugurated the 8th meeting of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in Colombo. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation is participating in the conference. <br/><br/>She is scheduled to address the conference today. Sri Lankan Prime minister Ranil Wickremsinghe in his inaugural address emphasised upon the rich democratic values in south Asia and the efforts taken by Sri Lankan Parliament to frame a new constitution. <br/><br/>The three-day conference will discuss several issues with particular emphasis on sustainable development goals. It will also 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". <br/><br/>This year's conference will also have the first ever meeting of the Young Parliamentarians' Committee. Meeting of the women parliamentarians' committee will be centered on the topic "Supporting Women to upheaval themselves from poverty and build better future for their communities."