NA leader receives AIPA delegation

Vietnam’s top legislator has said that the attendance of AIPA member delegates at the ASEAN-AIPA leaders’ meeting slated for April 8-9 in Hanoi reflects their support to Vietnam as AIPA-31 president.
Vietnam ’s top legislator has said that the attendance of AIPA member delegates at the ASEAN-AIPA leaders’ meeting slated for April 8-9 in Hanoi reflects their support to Vietnam as AIPA-31 president.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong made the statement while receiving a delegation from the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) member parliaments in Hanoi on April 7.

The coordination between ASEAN and AIPA has existed for a long time, said the Chairman, adding that within the framework of the ASEAN Summit in Thailand last year there were two unofficial meetings between Southeast Asian governments and the leaders of their legislative bodies.

Under Vietnam’s initiative, this year’s ASEAN-AIPA meeting will be raised to the level of an official meeting which is an opportunity for open discussions on regional cooperation issues in a bid to further increase the quality and effectiveness of both AIPA and ASEAN’s activities for the common goal of building the ASEAN Community in 2015 on the basis of the ASEAN Charter.

Chairman Trong took the occasion to thank the AIPA member parliaments for their support and assistance to the Vietnamese National Assembly in successfully hosting AIPA symposiums on bringing into play women parliamentarians in lawmaking, overcoming the global economic crisis and securing sustainable development.

He hoped that other AIPA parliaments will continue helping and cooperating with the Vietnamese NA so that it fulfils its role as AIPA-31 President.

AIPA delegates expressed the hope that through the ASEAN-AIPA official meeting, AIPA’s message—the wish for increased cooperation with ASEAN and the acceleration of the implementation of AIPA ratified resolutions as well as raising AIPA’s role in the building of an ASEAN community--will be transmitted to ASEAN leaders.

They also highly valued the National Assembly of Vietnam, as AIPA-31 Chair, for the successful organisation of conferences and workshops relating to “hot” issues in the region.

The delegates committed to continuing to join hands with the Vietnam National Assembly to organise activities during the host country’s AIPA-31 chairmanship, especially the 31st General Assembly of AIPA in September.

Earlier, AIPA delegates held a preparatory meeting under the leadership of Chairman of the Vietnam NA’s Committee for External Relations Affairs Nguyen Van Son, who is also Head of the AIPA-31 organising board.

NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong will head the AIPA delegation to the ASEAN-AIPA meeting./.

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