President of Cambodia’s National Assembly Heng Samrin (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President of Cambodia’s NationalAssembly Heng Samrin highlighted regional and international cooperation andsolidarity for common interests and benefits amid challenges brought about bythe COVID-19 pandemic at the virtual 41st General Assembly of theASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) on September 8.
Stressing that the pandemic has been actively controlled inASEAN in a timely manner, the chief legislator said: “While our region isstruggling to recover from this crisis, we need to further deepen our regionalintegration to facilitate the flow of goods, services and people. So far ASEANhas managed to maintain its supply chain of goods in response to the essentialneeds during this critical period.”
He also took the occasion to share Cambodia’s developmentstrategy based on its comparative and competitive advantages, saying that the CambodianGovernment is introducing a more people-centered development strategy byprioritising and focusing on agriculture and agro-industry, digitaltransformation, and domestic tourism.
“The Cambodian Parliament upholds the continuous efforts ofASEAN, focusing on maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability inthe region, as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes based on theprinciples of international law and diplomacy and avoiding the use of force,”he stated.
Heng Samrin noted the Cambodian Parliament backs young AIPAparliamentarians’ participation in all AIPA meetings and those with ASEANyouth. “Young people play significant roles in both national development and inbuilding the ASEAN Community to maintain its prosperous momentum,” he said.
The AIPA 41, themed “Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesiveand Responsive ASEAN Community”, runs from September 8 to 10.
This is the third time Vietnam has undertaken the role ofAIPA Chair and hosted the General Assembly of AIPA. This event, held online forthe first time, affirms the Vietnamese National Assembly’s flexibility,responsibility and determination to successfully assume the role of AIPA Chairthis year./.
