(VOVWORLD) -The 43rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary General Assembly (AIPA 43) opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday with the theme “Advancing together for sustainable, inclusive and resilient ASEAN”. The Vietnamese delegation introduced initiatives to promote cooperation in AIPA and ASEAN affirming that Vietnam is a responsible member and plays a leading role in AIPA.
 Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the AIPA's Executive Committee's meeting (Photo: VNA) |
AIPA 43 is the first General Assembly to be held in person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is leading the Vietnamese delegation.
Proactive, responsible member
During its 27 years in AIPA (formerly AIPO), the Vietnamese National Assembly has proposed initiatives to make the regional inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanism more effective, and has worked closely with other AIPA members to address problems arising in the region.
In 1998, one year after the financial crisis in Southeast Asia, a Vietnam-initiated AIPO Symposium on the role of legislatures in coping with economic crises was held in Hanoi. The event showed AIPA’s timely engagement in dealing with difficulties in the region.
As AIPO President, the Vietnamese National Assembly successfully organized the 23rd AIPO General Assembly in Hanoi in 2002, an important milestone in the Vietnamese legislature’s development. Among 33 resolutions adopted at the event, 20 were proposed by Vietnam. In 2010, the National Assembly of Vietnam assumed the role of AIPA President for the second time and hosted the 31st AIPA General Assembly.
10 years later, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese National Assembly hosted the 41st AIPA General Assembly virtually for the first time. Vietnam’s leading role was manifested in a series of breakthrough initiatives including holding the first AIPA Informal Conference of Young MPs, which admitted observers from other parliaments for the first time in 10 years.
Vietnam proposed initiatives to promote the relationship between AIPA and ASEAN and also invited the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to attend the AIPA General Assembly session, both important steps in AIPO/AIPA’s international integration.
Addressing a meeting in December, 2020 to review Vietnam’s Presidency of AIPA and the 41st AIPA General Assembly, then NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said: "The Vietnamese National Assembly has contributed to strengthening links between parliaments in the region raising the Vietnamese legislature’s international status."
 At the AIPA's Executive Committee's meeting (Photo: VNA)
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Vietnam pledges continued contribution to AIPA 43
At AIPA 43, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will attend the main activities within the framework of the General Assembly. This is an opportunity for the National Assembly of Vietnam to continue to propose initiatives and actively contribute to AIPA.
Mr. Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said: We have shared Vietnam's experience and contributed to building a peaceful, stable and developing Southeast Asia region and jointly solving challenges in the region. We have focused on topics of interest to ASEAN which include digital transformation and post-pandemic economic and tourism recovery.
The Vietnamese National Assembly’s contributions to AIPA over the past 27 years have affirmed the country’s voice at inter-parliamentary forums and enhanced its international standing.