Vientiane (VNA) – President of the Lao NationalAssembly (NA) Pany Yathotou attended the virtual 41st General Assembly of theASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), hosted by Vietnam, on September8.

In her remarks at the first plenary session, shesaid the Lao NA highly values and supports the theme of AIPA 41, “ParliamentaryDiplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community”, which contributes further toimplementing the commitment of the 36th ASEAN Summit and reaffirming theimportance of close cooperation and partnership among ASEAN member states, andbetween ASEAN and its dialogue partners with a view to responding to theemerging challenges in the region.

In response to traditional and non-traditionalchallenges in the region and the world, AIPA, as the representative of theASEAN people, has actively carried out its responsibility and played its rolethrough parliamentary diplomacy in fostering close cooperation and partnershipamongst fellow AIPA members, including through adopting numerous importantresolutions of the AIPA General Assembly and contributing towards therealisation of a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, she noted. 

These undertakings are aimed at strengtheningsocio-economic and political-security cooperation at the regional level on thebasis of consensus-building, promoting public participation as well as thewhole-of-society participation in the ASEAN Community building process,encouraging the harmonised and responsive legislations, and exchanging the bestpractices and experiences in fulfilling the roles and responsibilities amongstfellow AIPA member parliaments, particularly their role in ratifying treatiesunder the ASEAN cooperation framework with a view to ensuring the effectiveimplementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the three ASEAN CommunityBlueprints 2025 towards concrete results, the top legislator of Laos added.

According to her, the ASEAN region is facingmany challenges in 2020, especially the COVID-19 outbreak and naturaldisasters, which have imposed adverse impact to the socio-economic development,stability and security in the region and the world as a whole. 

Yathotou commended ASEAN for taking timelyresponsive measures and particularly Vietnam, as the Chair of ASEAN, for itssuccessful convening of the 36th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Plus Three Summit onCOVID-19 and the AIPA-ASEAN Leader’s Interface earlier this year, during whichASEAN and Plus Three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengtheningcooperation in the fight against COVID-19. 

Laos has translated the commitment outlined inthe Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 and focused onsurveillance, control and responsive measures against the outbreak, she said,noting that as a result of the concerted efforts, her country have 22 confirmedCOVID-19 cases, with 21 recoveries and no deaths. 

At the same time, the Lao Government has alsofocused its efforts on addressing the COVID-19 economic impact by adoptingeconomic, fiscal and monetary policies and measures aimed at facilitatingeconomic recovery.

Yathotou expressed her confidence that fellowAIPA members will continue to fulfill their role through parliamentarydiplomacy with a view to encouraging the governments of ASEAN member states toimplement measures and translate commitment of the ASEAN leaders as well as theheads of AIPA towards tangible results.

She also took this opportunity to express herappreciation to ASEAN member states, the bloc’s dialogue partners, friendlycountries and international organisations for the technical and financialsupport and assistance, including through an exchange of information andprovision of medical supplies as well as dispatch of medical experts to Laos inits efforts to combat COVID-19 and to recover its economy./.