The participants of the session were addressed by the President of the IAO General Assembly Ioan Vulpescu, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament, Ciprian-Constantin Serban, His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Romania, and the IAO Secretary General Maximos Charakopoulos. Welcoming address by His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was read in the introductory part of the General Assembly.

At the session, the participants discussed the theme of the 32nd IAO General Assembly: “Cooperation between Parliaments and Religious Institutions in Developing Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence – The Importance of the IPU Marrakesh Declaration.”

Addressing the IAO Assembly, MP Aleksandar Cotric emphasised that the Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy for the period 2024-2030 represents one of our country’s most important strategic documents, aimed at improving key social sectors from education and economy to energy and healthcare. He emphasised that as a leader in the region in this area, Serbia has the honour of chairing the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence, which places it among the 29 countries that are leading in this domain. Special emphasis was placed on the development of artificial intelligence in accordance with the highest ethical, Christian and security principles, with the introduction of mechanisms that ensure the responsible and safe application of new technologies.

During the session, the participants were unanimous in their view that we live in times in which technology, governance and ethics must be intertwined. Ethics must not be an obstacle to technological progress, but a guarantee for its proper application. The participants emphasised the need for dialogue between political and religious leaders when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence.

Participants in the IAO Assembly adopted a joint resolution demanding that the Egyptian authorities ensure the unhindered and safe operation of the monastic community at the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai.

At the session, the Head of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, Aleksandar Cotric was elected to the seven-member IAO International Secretariat, which is a great recognition of our Parliament for its contribution to the successful operation of the organisation, in whose work MPs from more than twenty countries in Europe, Asia and Africa participate.