National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, President of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Saber Chowdhury, IPU General Secretary Martin Chungong, and representatives from parliaments of Asian-Pacific countries attended the event.
NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong (R) and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji Ruveni N. Nadalo at the handover ceremony
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji Ruveni N. Nadalo stressed the benefits that the 25th APPF has brought to his country, saying that, as the chair of APPF, his country approved various global-scale resolutions to global issues on climate chance, management of natural disaster risks, healthcare, education, and measures to ensure peace, border security, and food security.
He believed that the Vietnamese National Assembly, with its high sense of responsibility, capacity and experience, will successfully run the 26th APPF. He also affirmed that Fiji is ready to back Vietnam in organizing events and activities related to the 26th APPF.
Speaking at the ceremony, on behalf of the Vietnamese NA, Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stated that Vietnam is proud of serving as the APPF chair and hosting the 26th annual meeting of APPF in 2018, saying that the Vietnamese legislature highly appreciates activities as well as agenda of the forum.
The forum has contributed to strengthening friendship and cooperation between/among regional parliaments, cementing the dialogue mechanism, facilitating exchanges among parliamentarians, and upholding the role of parliaments in addressing regional issues, ensuring peace and sustainable development, she emphasized.
She also pledged that the Vietnamese NA will give priority and make special effort for successful organization of the 26th APPF.
Since 1995 when the Vietnamese NA joint the international organization, it has played an active role and demonstrated a high sense of responsibility in APPF’s activities, particularly in the year of 2005 when Vietnam hosted the 13th annual meeting of the forum.
Translated by Song Anh