Leading members of the National Assembly (NA) will head up a delegation from the 43rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) on a six-day official visit to India from August 10-15, with NA first vice-president Cheam Yeab acting as AIPA rotating chairman.
During the visit, Yeab will lead other AIPA members to attend various meetings with Indian politicians and government officials, among other events.
“The delegation will meet with the management of the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracy (PRIDE), be interviewed on SANSAD-TV, pay their respects at the Humayun cemetery and visit some of the most important government and cultural sites, such as the Qutab Minar Victory Monument, National Assembly and Senate Centres, Parliament House and Assembly Hall, Parliament Library, Parliament Museum, Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort Temple,” the statement said.
NA spokesman Leng Penglong told The Post on August 9 that the AIPA is not only an important part of ASEAN, but also a partner of 16 other observer parliaments, and that the AIPA’s visit to India would further strengthen the friendship, solidarity and cooperation between ASEAN and India.
Penglong added that the visit is also for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India diplomatic relations and advanced the progress of cooperation in regional and global inter-parliamentary forums.
“The visit is aimed at strengthening the relationship between ASEAN and India. As the AIPA’s rotating chairman, we not only lead the Cambodian parliament, but also other countries in ASEAN’s parliaments on this visit, and we will all work together in India,” he said.
According to Penglong, there are some countries that have announced their participation and are sending their parliament’s members or representatives along on the trip, but some AIP member countries may be absent due to their political situations.
“Five or six countries have confirmed that they are sending their representatives on the visit to India, while some countries – such as the Philippines – have just recently held elections and have not informed us of their decision yet,” he said.
