PHNOM PENH, Nov 25 (NNN-AKP) – The leaders of parliaments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed their collective political commitment, to building a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient ASEAN community, Cambodian National Assembly President, Samdech Heng Samrin, said here, yesterday.
The commitment was made during the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (43rd AIPA) in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Samrin, chair of the 43rd AIPA General Assembly, said, throughout the five-day meeting, the ASEAN parliament chiefs had demonstrated a spirit of unity and solidarity.
“ASEAN’s unity and centrality have been enhanced,” he said, adding that, “We have come together to share ideas, come up with solutions and policy proposals, and express our collective political commitment to building a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient ASEAN.”
Samrin said, the 43rd AIPA General Assembly had proven that the principles of consultation and consensus-based decision-making remained fundamental to ASEAN’s unity and centrality.
“We have also observed that, the four principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust, and mutual interest for peace and prosperity are vital to regional integration and community building,” he said.
Speaking of the outcome of the 43rd AIPA General Assembly, Samrin said, the meeting had achieved significant outcome, in terms of the quality of discussions, the quantity of adopted resolutions, and personal friendships.
“We are proud of these tremendous outcome and these could not have been achieved without the active participation and valuable contributions made by all delegates,” he said.
Samrin said, AIPA, the legislative body representing the will and interests of more than 650 million people in ASEAN, plays a critical role in realising a truly people-oriented and people-centred ASEAN.
“I strongly hope that the results we have achieved at the 43rd AIPA General Assembly are translated into concrete actions,” he said. “We do our best to serve the interest of our people.”
At the end of the meeting, Samrin handed over the chairmanship of AIPA to Indonesia’s House of Representatives’ speaker, Puan Maharani, who will chair the 44th AIPA General Assembly in 2023.– NNN-AKP
