Vietnam continues to deepen its solidarity and cooperation with ASEAN countries in the run up to the establishment of the ASEAN Community in late 2015, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said on September 16.

Addressing the first plenary session of the 35th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-35) in Vientiane, Laos, he said the Vietnamese National Assembly has issued and amended many policies and legal documents to realise resolutions adopted at AIPA general assemblies.

“Vietnam continues to make practical and effective contributions to improving the role of AIPA in building and developing the ASEAN Community of peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity,” he affirmed.

The top Vietnamese legislator said that ASEAN is at a key moment in the establishment of the community and a post-2015 vision.

In recent years, AIPA increased its efforts to support governments in realising the ASEAN community and has now become an important mechanism for the bloc in the fields of security-politics, economics, and culture-society, he added.

Chairman Hung asked AIPA to continue to facilitate the community-building process and help member states iron out their differences, especially in legal systems.

AIPA should also propose ASEAN countries intensify internal and external cooperation mechanisms to address new challenges such as environmental pollution, climate change, epidemics, and energy, food and maritime security, he said.

In his speech, the leader welcomed the outcomes of the recent 24 th ASEAN Summit, the 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Myanmar, which helped maintain peace, stability and security on land and at sea, along with the freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

He called on ASEAN to accelerate the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and work towards a Code of Conduct in these waters.

During the first plenary session, the respective heads of AIPA delegations expressed their support for the theme “Strengthening parliamentary cooperation within the ASEAN Community”, and approved the agenda for AIPA-35, as well as the membership of committees and topics of dialogues.

VNA/VNN