FOREIGN RELATION NEWS
The visit of Chairman Tran Thanh Man was highly regarded by Laos’ senior leaders and marked by special ceremonial receptions.
Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man's visit to Laos (Oct 17-19) was highly successful. The outcomes will boost cooperation, particularly in economy, trade, and investment, strengthening the strong political ties between Vietnam and Laos.
Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and Laos' General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith.
How do you assess the outcomes of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man's official visit to Laos and his participation in the 45th AIPA General Assembly, along with the high-level delegation from the Vietnamese National Assembly?
This was Tran Thanh Man’s first visit as Chairman of the National Assembly to the Lao People's Democratic Republic and his participation in the 45th AIPA General Assembly. Along with President To Lam’s state visit to Laos in July 2024 and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s participation in the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Laos from October 8-11, 2024, Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit reaffirms Vietnam’s consistent policy of valuing its great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation with Laos. This relationship has endured throughout the struggles for national liberation and unification, and continues in the joint efforts to build and defend both nations.
The visit of Chairman Tran Thanh Man was highly regarded by Laos’ senior leaders and marked by special ceremonial receptions.
In high-level meetings with General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, and National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane, both sides engaged in extensive and substantive discussions on strengthening and deepening their unique and unparalleled relationship.
Both sides agreed that, alongside the strong political ties and trust, and the solid progress in defense and security cooperation, economic, trade, and investment relations must be further strengthened. In particular, there is a need for effective implementation of cooperative projects between the two countries, contributing to each nation’s development.
Regarding parliamentary cooperation, Laos' leaders highly appreciated the collaboration between the two National Assemblies, particularly in exchanging experiences in lawmaking, coordinating joint oversight of key economic projects, and organizing discussions on shared issues of interest.
Laos also valued Vietnam’s insights shared in discussions on constitutional amendments and lawmaking, which support Laos' reforms and institutional development. Both sides agreed that these forms of cooperation are highly effective and will continue to be pursued in the future.
In addition to his official visit to Laos, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man participated in several key activities within the framework of the 45th AIPA General Assembly, hosted by Laos. How do you assess the outcomes of his participation in this AIPA-45 session?
This was also Tran Thanh Man’s first time attending an AIPA General Assembly as National Assembly Chairman.
On the sidelines of the 45th AIPA General Assembly, he held bilateral meetings with heads of delegations from several member countries and AIPA Observers, discussing ways to further advance ASEAN’s goals and initiatives. These efforts aim to build a strong, united ASEAN Community in the lead-up to the 10th anniversary of ASEAN's establishment in 2025.
Aligned with this year's AIPA-45 theme, "The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing ASEAN Connectivity and Inclusive Growth," host country Laos and other AIPA members expressed their desire to strengthen regional connectivity in areas like infrastructure development, improving the legal framework for transport, telecommunications, energy links, and more. These efforts are key to boosting regional integration, bridging development gaps, and expanding relations with external partners.
Given these goals and expectations, the 45th AIPA General Assembly plays a significant role in ASEAN’s overall efforts to realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, particularly reflecting the commitment to help Laos, a landlocked country, become a regional connectivity hub.
In the context of these collective efforts and shared goals, what contributions did the Vietnamese delegation make to the 45th AIPA General Assembly?
Building on its experience from previous AIPA General Assemblies, the Vietnamese delegation actively and proactively coordinated early with their Lao counterparts during the 45th AIPA General Assembly, showing strong support for Laos in successfully fulfilling its roles as ASEAN and AIPA Chair in 2024.
The Vietnamese delegation put forward initiatives and resolutions at the AIPA Young Parliamentarians Conference, the AIPA Women Parliamentarians Meeting, and sessions of the Social and Economic Committees. These contributions focused on enhancing the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in promoting socio-economic development, and fostering national and regional policy coordination, particularly prioritizing the development of transportation networks. Vietnam also co-sponsored six other resolutions, including five proposed by Laos and one jointly submitted by Indonesia, Laos, and Malaysia.
The resolutions focused on strengthening the role of AIPA member parliaments in promoting ASEAN connectivity and harmonious development through political-security cooperation; enhancing the role of parliaments in mobilizing green finance for sustainable infrastructure development aligned with the ASEAN Community Vision beyond 2025; and increasing parliamentary focus on building a sustainable, connected, and inclusive ASEAN Community.
In total, the Vietnamese delegation contributed to 10 of the 20 resolutions expected to be adopted at the 45th AIPA General Assembly.
Thank you for your time!