Negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement
	PM to Depart for Official Visit to Malaysia, Attendance at 46th ASEAN Summit

The session was chaired by Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia, Johari bin Abdul, President of AIPA-46, with the participation of leaders of parliaments of ASEAN countries and Timor Leste.

In his opening remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia emphasized the role of the ASEAN-AIPA Interface in promoting dialogue and policy coordination between the executive and legislative branches, contributing to resolving emerging issues in the region and realizing common goals. He affirmed that the preparatory session plays an important role in discussing AIPA's message submitted to ASEAN Leaders.

At the session, leaders of ASEAN parliamentary delegations highly agreed with the theme proposed by Malaysia: "Inclusive and Sustainable", and affirmed the necessity of building a comprehensive message, representing the will and aspirations of more than 670 million ASEAN people.

The Vietnamese National Assembly delegation attended the preparatory meeting. (Photo: VNA)

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh congratulated Malaysia on assuming the role of ASEAN and AIPA Chair at a time of special significance - the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community and entering a new development phase. He highly appreciated Malaysia's themes and priorities, including promoting inclusive growth, sustainable development, digital transformation, and exploiting the driving force from science and technology. Vietnam pledged to continue to closely coordinate and actively contribute to the common success.

The Vietnamese delegation contributed important opinions to the draft message of the AIPA Chair to ASEAN Leaders, especially emphasizing the need to narrow the development gap and develop sub-regions, including the Mekong Sub-region. Vu Hong Thanh affirmed that ASEAN needs to maintain solidarity and comply with international law, including UNCLOS, to maintain peace and stability in the region. The proposals and contributions of the Vietnamese delegation were highly appreciated and were included in the content of the message.

Accordingly, the message affirms strong support for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, emphasizing the commitment to accompany governments in implementing priorities on inclusive growth, sustainable development, promoting regional connectivity, raising people's voices, and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

AIPA will continue to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sub-regional cooperation, harmoniously resolving the relationship between food security, energy and water resources, environmental protection, and enhancing cooperation in responding to non-traditional security challenges.

In terms of economy and trade, AIPA is committed to promoting investment, especially in green projects and infrastructure, enhancing sustainable finance, accelerating digital transformation, and investing in innovation, towards building a dynamic, competitive, future-ready ASEAN.

In terms of politics and security, AIPA reaffirmed its adherence to the United Nations Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS; emphasized the importance of solidarity and the central role of ASEAN in the context of many fluctuations in the region and the world. The message also emphasized the need to fully implement the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar and called for peaceful solutions to conflicts.

According to the plan, the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives will present the message on behalf of ASEAN parliaments at the 14th ASEAN-AIPA Leaders' Meeting, taking place on the afternoon of May 26.

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