Australian Ambassador Hugh Borrowman has praised the National Assembly and Government of Vietnam for their hard work to ensure the 132nd IPU Assembly is a success.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Hugh Borrowman.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, the ambassador said he first visited Vietnam for APEC 2006 so he has witnessed at first hand Vietnam’s capacity to stage major international events, adding that Vietnam is clearly rising to the challenge of organising its largest ever-international event.

“Major international events such as the IPU Assembly throw up many challenges for host governments but Vietnam has taken a proactive and serious approach to managing forward planning, engaging with foreign missions and establishing realistic and well defined guidelines for visiting delegations,” the ambassador said.

Discussing the theme and agenda of the Assembly, the ambassador said he thinks it is an ambitious and important programme.

“Vietnam’s own remarkable development achievements in recent decades mean it is well placed to help shape a constructive discussion among parliaments on the theme of sustainable development,” he said, adding that it’s a topic that has drawn a lot of attention from governments and development institutions over the last few years.

He continued, “So I think it’s very positive that it will now also have the focus of legislators who really play a crucial role in creating enabling environments for sustainable development to take place.”

According to the diplomat, Vietnam’s own National Assembly is an ever-strengthening institution and can play an important part not just in promoting sustainable development in Vietnam and the region, but also as a role model for other parliaments.

Asked about his expectations of the outcomes of the 132nd IPU Assembly in terms of promoting cooperation and united actions to deal with global issues, the Ambassador said he is confident a spirit of collaboration and cooperation will lead to positive and useful discussions in Hanoi at the IPU this year.

“I think the Hanoi Declaration, a key outcome of the event, will reflect the reality that the people of the world, and parliaments as their elected representatives, have a largely shared vision for the future; one of equality, peace and prosperity,” the diplomat told the VNA.

Source: VNA