(sav.gov.vn) - On the morning of October 18, within the framework of the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45) in Vientiane, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man; President of the Lao National Assembly and AIPA Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane; and President of the Cambodian National Assembly Khuon Sudary held a working breakfast.
During the breakfast meeting, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Cambodian National Assembly President Khuon Sudary congratulated Laos on its successful tenure as ASEAN Chair in 2024. They expressed confidence that with Laos's thorough preparations and the experience of President Saysomphone Phomvihane, Laos would continue to succeed in its role as AIPA Chair in 2024, thereby enhancing its status and role in both regional and international arena.
President Saysomphone Phomvihane acknowledged the support and assistance from Viet Nam and Cambodia, which have helped Laos fulfill its responsibilities as ASEAN Chair in 2024 and AIPA Chair in 2024.
The three Chairpersons of the National Assemblies recognized this meeting as a valuable opportunity to promote more effective cooperation among their parliaments amid a complex and unpredictable regional and international context. They emphasized the importance of solidarity and mutual support among the three countries during the fights for national liberation, the protection of independence and sovereignty, and in contemporary socio-economic development, considering this unity an invaluable asset that must be preserved and further developed for the benefit of each nation and the trio as a whole.
The three Chairpersons unanimously assessed that the trilateral cooperation among the three countries, guided by the leadership of their respective Parties, is developing across various fields. They noted that defense and security cooperation continue to serve as a solid pillar, while economic, trade, and investment collaboration is thriving. Cooperation in other areas such as tourism, education and training, culture, and people-to-people exchange has made significant progress, with a wide range of cooperation forms which thereby contribute to strengthening the ties between the three nations.
The three National Assembly Heads reaffirmed that parliamentary cooperation is becoming increasingly expansive, contributing to the promotion of comprehensive cooperation at all levels and channels. This collaboration plays a crucial role in partnership, particularly in enhancing institutions, enacting policies and laws, supporting governments in socio-economic development, ensuring security and defense in each country, as well as enhancing connectivity between the economies of Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia. They agreed to coordinate and prepare effectively for an upcoming meeting among the leaders of the three Parties.
To actualize the commitments made by the senior leaders of the three nations, the three Chairpersons agreed to strengthen bilateral and trilateral exchange and contacts on a regular basis. They will closely coordinate in monitoring and promoting the implementation of the cooperation agreements signed between the two and three sides, as well as advancing trilateral cooperation mechanisms. Additionally, they will enhance youth exchange and training for young leaders to nurture future cooperation among the three countries, continue implementing training programs for young officials in border provinces, and plan to implement this initiative to other provinces across all three nations. They will also work closely to maintain a peaceful, stable, and friendly border between Viet Nam and Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia, and among the three countries.
Khuon Sudary and Saysomphone Phomvihane praised Man for presenting four initiatives at the AIPA Young Parliamentarians Conference, as follows: enhancing the role of ASEAN youth parliamentarians; strengthening social welfare and employment opportunities for the elderly in ASEAN; promoting the elimination of violence against women and girls in ASEAN; and improving institutional capacity to connect transportation, aviation, and ports within ASEAN.
The three parliamentary leaders reaffirmed the significance and role of the Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia Triangle Development Cooperation Mechanism (CLV-DTA), which over the past 25 years has yielded substantial results for the development of each country and tightened the bonds among them. They agreed to continue strengthening effective cooperation in accordance with the development needs in this new phase, while emphasizing trust, solidarity, and mutual benefits for the three countries, aiming for peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
The three Chairpersons committed to continuing mutual support in international and regional forums such as AIPA, IPU, APPF, APF, etc. Notably, the parliaments of the three countries will continue to closely collaborate in implementing existing parliamentary cooperation efforts, as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms. They agreed to consider establishing a working breakfast mechanism among the Chairpersons of the three National Assemblies in the near future.