The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) has played an important role in bringing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) closer to the people, providing them with ample opportunities for development, the Thai Prime Minister said.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva made the remark while welcoming participants and guests to the 30 th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-30) which convened in the Thai city of Pattaya on August 4.

The participants included legislators from the eight AIPA members-- Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand-- while the special guests were the General Secretaries of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the East Timor Parliament, and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan.

In his welcome note, the Thai PM emphasised the importance of the AIPA-30 as it was the first to be held after ASEAN ratified its Charter. He underlined the need to further boost cooperation between the law-making bodies and the governments of ASEAN, in realisation of the group’s plans, and to create a legal foundation for the effective implementation of goals that the group has set.

In his opening speech, the AIPA-30 Chair, Chai Chidchob, who is the Thai Parliament President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, agreed that AIPA needs to actively take part in implementing the ASEAN bloc’s goals and building the ASEAN Community, firmly based on the three pillars of politics-security, economy, and culture-society by 2015.

In doing so, AIPA should push up efforts to promptly ratify and implement ASEAN’s economic cooperation agreements, further promote its role in harmonising the group’s legal documents as well as work to consolidate and enhance solidarity, friendship and cooperation in the bloc.

The AIPA-30 opening session was then followed by the first plenary session, where the Brunei Legislative Council was officially admitted to AIPA.

At the first plenary session, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tong Thi Phong, who heads the Vietnamese delegation to the event, noted that more than ever the international community in general and the ASEAN Community in particular need to step up their cooperation to contain the global financial crisis and economic downturn.

They should reinforce an open and fair multilateral trade system that works against protectionism, increases developing countries’ access to export markets, promotes regional integration and connection, and enforces an international trade system in a lawful, non-discriminatory, fair and open manner, the Vietnamese legislator said.

She urged AIPA member parliaments to further promote their political dialogues and dialogues between cultures and civilisations, as well as boost friendship, mutual trust, respect and understanding, and expedite regional and international commitments in dealing with epidemics and pandemics.

The Vietnamese legislator stressed that since becoming an official AIPA member, the Vietnamese National Assembly has done its best to make positive and effective contributions to the General Assembly and has participated fully and responsibly in all the organisation’s activities.

According to AIPA’s rotational system, the Vietnamese NA Chairman will take the AIPA Chair in the 2009-2010 term and Vietnam will host the AIPA-31 in 2010, Phong said, noting that these are not only obligations but also a great honour for the National Assembly and the people of Vietnam .

On the occasion, Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet sent a message to the AIPA-30, in which he highly valued AIPA’s active role in ASEAN’s integration process and its efforts to successfully build the ASEAN Community by 2015.

President Triet also affirmed that the Vietnamese people and State will work hard to bring the spirit and contents of the ASEAN Charter to life in the best interests of each ASEAN member country and the group in general and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

He also pledged that Vietnam will do its best to successfully organise the AIPA’s 31 st General Assembly in 2010.

In the first session, the Heads of delegations from AIPA member parliaments consented to topics for the AIPA-30, including the organisation’s role and contributions to the implementation of the ASEAN Charter; the strengthening of democracy and promotion of human rights; measures for settling disputes; regional economic integration and the narrowing of the development gap among ASEAN member countries; food and energy security; ways to weather the global economic and financial crisis; and the building of an ASEAN identity.

They agreed it is a must to bolster cooperation among ASEAN member countries to enable them to efficiently respond to new challenges imposed by the global financial crisis and economic decline, trans-national crime, natural calamities, epidemics, and global warming.

Previous to the opening session, the Delegation Heads, special guests and observers paid courtesy visits to the AIPA-30 Chair, Chai Chidchob, and the Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva./.