Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ at the plenary session. VNA/VNS Photo

JAKARTA — Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ raised key proposals at the first plenary session of the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday.

The Vietnamese legislator suggested enhancing solidarity, centrality and strategic values of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He also proposed optimising the support of partners and the international community in ensuring a regional environment of peace, security and stability; ensuring the principles of independence and self-reliance, and maintaining consensus with ASEAN’s common stance and viewpoints.

Huệ suggested taking peace as the goal, dialogue as the tool, and cooperation as the motto to address disputes in the spirit of respect for law, in line with common principles and code of conduct, as well as international law.

He called for stronger intra-bloc cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, technology transfer, finance-monetary, safe and sustainable digital transformation, and just energy transition.

ASEAN should foster relations with its partners to narrow development gaps, effectively respond to non-traditional security challenges such as diseases, natural disasters, cyber crimes, cross-border crimes, climate change, and energy and water resources security. It should also boost sub-regional cooperation, contributing to ensuring inclusive growth, and equal and sustainable development, and raising its resilience to regional and global challenges, he said.

The leader stressed the need for ASEAN parliaments to continue improving their roles in law building, and strengthen their supervision over governments during the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 in all the three pillars of politics-security, economy, and culture-society, towards the post-2025 vision.

Meanwhile, AIPA should further reform, pay more attention to relations with partners that are its observers, he continued, stressing that Việt Nam supports the admission of Cuba, Turkey and Armenia as AIPA’s observers.

According to the top legislator, at AIPA-44, Việt Nam proposed three draft resolutions aiming to help ASEAN optimise advantages in science, technology, and innovation in service of economic recovery and development, as well as its potential to promote agricultural, food and forestry development.

Việt Nam wished to receive support from other ASEAN parliaments for the proposals, he said.

Huệ used this occasion to invite representatives from the ASEAN parliaments and observers to attend the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, slated for September in Hà Nội.

Việt Nam would try its best, together with other ASEAN member countries and AIPA parliaments, to build a strong and responsive ASEAN and AIPA, and turn risks into opportunities, towards a stable, prosperous and stable ASEAN Community, he affirmed.

With the theme of "Responsive Parliaments for A Stable and Prosperous ASEAN," AIPA-44 focused on issues regarding maintaining peace, security and stability through dialogue and cooperation; the fight against terrorism and extremism, and how to ensure water resources, energy and food security; accelerating green transition; enhancing regional economic connectivity and combating corruption; and promoting innovation, and scientific and technology transfer, application and development, among others.

Delegates shared the view that AIPA member parliaments should carry forward their roles in strengthening ASEAN’s solidarity and centrality in maintaining regional peace, security and stability, which is the prerequisite for a favourable environment for rapid socio-economic development and recovery. VNA/VNS