The 35th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-35) concluded in Vientiane , Laos , on September 19, with the release of a Joint Communiqué reaffirming the importance of strengthening cooperation among member countries, for an ASEAN Community of peace, stability and development.

In the document, AIPA member countries agreed to boost parliamentary coordination in building the ASEAN Politics-Security Community, dealing with virus Ebola, controlling non-infectious diseases and fostering vocational training.

They also vowed to work together to carry out a green growth strategy and narrow the development gap among the bloc.

The Joint Communiqué also stressed the need to step up collaboration with observer countries’ parliaments, focusing on trade, investment, agriculture, information technology, tourism, and education.

It announced that Malaysia will be the next Chair of AIPA and host the 36th General Assembly from September 6-12, 2015.

The four-day AIPA-35 General Assembly was attended by representatives from the 10 ASEAN member nations along with those from the observer states including Japan, Belarus, the Republic of Korea, China, Russia, India, Australia, and Timor-Leste.-VNA