As President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2020, Vietnam has displayed its strong determination and taken the initiative to put on the 41st AIPA General Assembly (AIPA 41) amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

Head of the Lao National Assembly’s external relations committee Eksavang Vongvichit
(Photo: VNA)

Eksavang Vongvichit, Head of the Laotian National Assembly’s external relations committee said despite the pandemic impacting the organisation of the AIPA 41, the organisation of the event in the form of a video conference has occurred in both a timely and efficient manner through the leadership of Vietnam’s National Assembly.

Furthermore, the Laotian official also underlined the importance of the AIPA 41’s theme of “Parliamentary diplomacy for a cohesive and proactive ASEAN Community”, stating that countries must strive for stronger co-ordination and co-operation between various legislatures and Governments in order to realise their objectives.

 Parliamentary diplomacy therefore plays a crucial role in foreign affairs, specifically in personal diplomacy, he emphasised. Indeed, Eksavang believes the event has contributed to maintaining political stability as well as to assisting with other important matters, such as the economy, culture, society, and gender equality.

The AIPA 41 therefore demonstrates that parliamentary diplomacy plays an important role in helping Governments promote and realise their goals, along with the strategic visions agreed upon by the leaders of ASEAN member states at the 36th ASEAN Summit, which was recently held online and hosted by Vietnam, the Lao official noted.