By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, Jan 17 (Bernama) -- Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wants ASEAN to work as a bloc to achieve its goals while reaffirming the Kingdom’s support for the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul who is on a two-day diplomatic mission to Cambodia held talks on Friday with Hun Sen who is now the Senate President.
The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen ASEAN and also diplomatic and legislative bonds between the two countries.
“Hun Sen wants ASEAN to work as a bloc. If we can work as a bloc rather than individual countries, which have their own interest, probably we can negotiate better with Europeans or Americans or others, so our interests are better protected,” Johari told reporters at the Malaysian Embassy on Friday after the meeting.
Talks also touched on student exchange programmes to deepen mutual understanding and celebrate the rich historical and cultural legacies of both nations.
AIPA - the regional parliamentary body, was established in September 1977- to foster strong ties among Southeast Asian lawmakers.
Johari, the 46th President of AIPA, reaffirmed Malaysia’s unwavering commitment to the success of AIPA 2025 that will take place in Kuala Lumpur in September.
He also met Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Neth Savoeun on Friday and discussions focused on the development of strategic regional matters, particularly ASEAN’s peace, security and sustainability.
“It is also about building trust that is exactly what we are doing. It will be a long haul but let's build the trust.
“Normally it is a tradition for the host country to write a letter of invitation, but we wanted to do it differently this time. I am here along with a few MPs (members of Parliament) to personally invite the guest to attend AIPA. That shows how much we respect them as members of ASEAN. We also have the space to speak to the leadership of the upper house or lower house,” he said.
On his arrival on Thursday, Johari met Cambodia’s National Assembly Speaker Khuon Sudary and both leaders deliberated on deeper collaboration among ASEAN parliaments, namely dynamic exchanges of parliamentary members and sharing of knowledge.
In addition, Malaysia-Cambodia bilateral ties, promoting legislative diplomacy in addressing pressing global challenges such as food security, renewable energy and digital transformation also surfaced during the talks.
Malaysia will host the ASEAN Summit this year and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat will take place in Langkawi this weekend.
-- BERNAMA
