Statement
 by Mr Thongsing Thammavong, President of the National Assembly
On occasion of the 10^th anniversary of AIPA membership of the Lao National Assembly (1/9/1997-1/9/2007) and the 30^th founding anniversary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) (2/9/1977-2/9/2007)

As being aware, after Lao PDR became a party to ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 1992, the National Assembly (NA) was granted an observer status an observer in the 13^th AIPO General Assembly (The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), formerly known as AIPO, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation). In 1997 Lao PDR became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the NA was declared an a member of AIPA on 1 September 1997, in the 18^th AIPO General Assembly in Bali, Republic of Indonesia. The above-mentioned events show ASEAN and AIPA are twins, which follow each other and promote each other in order to fulfill the target and overall ideal of ASEAN in each stage. Obviously, ASEAN vision aims to enhance ASEAN integration and gain achievements in building ASEAN community with three supporting pillars such as security, economic and socio- cultural ties.  

On the auspicious occasion, on behalf of the NA and on my own behalf, I commemorate the obvious activities of AIPA in the past 30 years.

AIPO (now AIPA) was established on 2 September 1977, ten years after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed. It aims to promote the ASEAN goal, enhance friendship relations and cooperation as well as legislative lesson exchange between AIPA members. Initially, AIPA had only five members such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Due to the political condition and situation in Southeast Asia at that time, in the beginning, AIPA activities emphasized politics, security and stability.

Since 1995 AIPA has widened relations and cooperation by granting membership to Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Lao PDR and Kingdom of Cambodia, accepting Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar as Special Observers and giving the observing status to ASEAN dialogue partner countries. To cope with the progress of integration, AIPA revised its rule in 1997, emphasizing the relations between AIPA and the outside world.

During the past 30 years, AIPA had improved its organisation and operating system to fit its situation and reality. In 1990 Secretariat was set up to cooperate and coordinate with member countries. In 1998 AIPA established Women’s Parliamentarian Caucus at the committee level to promote the role of female parliamentarians in the ASEAN member countries. In 2006 the 27^th AIPA General Assembly was held in Cebu, Philippines unanimously agreed to rename AIPO as AIPA. Renaming is the historical turning point in making AIPA to be an effective body with more participation in ASEAN. The newly-revised rule of AIPA determined necessary principles for tightening the relations and coordination within ASEAN in general and between parliaments and governments of every ASEAN member country in particular. The aim is to help people’s representatives to more participate in making discussions on overall ASEAN matters.

Every AIPA General Assembly deeply studies politics, economics, social issue and its internal works. Concerning the politics, AIPA studies issues relating to peace and security in the region and in the world. Considering the economic matter, AIPA pays attention to trade and investment cooperation, ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), Asia-Pacific Economic Operation (APEC), East Asia Economic Cooperation, World Trade Organisation (WTO) and so on. Concerning the social issue, AIPA discusses matters regarding dangers of drug, epidemic, infectious diseases, labour, cross-border crime, environment, women and children trafficking and so on. AIPA General Assemblies adopted resolutions and measures to cope with the mentioned issues.

I am proud of seeing many resolutions of AIPA General Assemblies, which are fundamental for formulating the legislative system as well as for considering the socio-economic development of every ASEAN member country. They contribute to enhancing the ASEAN integration.

Since the National Assembly of Lao PDR became an AIPA member in 1997, it has striven to operate under overall ASEAN plan and gained achievements in many fields as follows:   

• The NA participated in materializing the Party policy on foreign affairs under the principle of peace, independence, friendship and cooperation, which fit its role and characteristics and enhanced multi-lateral and bilateral cooperation within AIPA and observers’ delegations of ASEAN dialogue partner countries.
• The NA shared lessons of the role and duty of the legislative body and of formulating the legislative base, which is uniform and approachable to deal with ASEAN integration in investment protection and promotion, free trade area, cross-border crime, epidemic and environment, human trafficking, drug and so on.
• The NA sought opportunities and assistance within ASEAN to improve its technical strength and train officials in many fields, legislative study, foreign language ability, organisation and conference management.
• The NA honourably hosted the 26^th AIPA General Assembly in 2005, in Vientiane Capital. Following the achievements gained by the previous assembly, the event played an important role in determining the direction for turning AIPA to be an institute with rights and more participation in ASEAN. Besides this event, the NA organised AIPA-committee-level conferences on drug (AIFOCOM) and ability for building ASEAN University. NA delegations attended conferences on ASEAN-interest issues such as poverty eradication, formulating the legislative system for restoring ASEAN economy, human resources, cross-border crime, women and children’s rights and so on.

On the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of AIPA membership of the NA and the 30^th founding anniversary of AIPA, I express gratitude to parliaments of ASEAN member countries and other parties for material and spiritual support, assistance and lessons, which are big contributions to ensure good successes in relations between the NA and AIPA in the past 10 years.