BANGKOK: The President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, Heng Samrin, addressed the Asia-Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Forum and called on countries around the world to abide by international laws and the UN Charter to promote democracy and respect for human rights.

Addressing the Plenary Session of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday morning, 27 October, National Assembly President, Heng Samrin, said that the world is facing several emerging geopolitical tensions, a global economic downturn and a major security threat in the form of the war in Ukraine. In ASEAN, in particular, he said the humanitarian and political crisis in Myanmar remains a complex issue, and the ongoing fight against Covid-19 is still present.

Faced with all these problems, the Cambodian President of the National Assembly called for respect for international law, especially the UN Charter, to promote democracy and respect for human rights across the globe.

He described the Asia-Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Forum as an important meeting that will further contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, progress, and prosperity for the people of the Asia-Pacific region as well as the people of the world.

Taking this opportunity, the National Assembly President also mentioned the 43rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), which will be hosted by the Cambodian Parliament, and extended invites to all AIPA members and observers to attend the General Assembly in Phnom Penh from 20-25 November 2022.

He emphasized that the 43rd AIPA will be held under the theme 'Stepping Together Towards a Sustainable and Resilient ASEAN Environment,' and will continue a dialogue aimed at further enhancing parliamentary cooperation to address regional and global issues.

This year's 30th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) was held under the theme "Parliament and Sustainable Rehabilitation after Covid-19 to Promote Democracy, Peace, and Security." The Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum is a major regional parliamentary forum designed to bring together the annual Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Assembly to address common issues and promote peace and sustainable development in the region and across the globe.

The meeting discussed political and security issues on three main topics: 1) Enhancing Parliamentary Diplomacy for Regional Security, 2) Strengthening Information Security in the Asia-Pacific Region, and 3) Parliament and Security to restore recovery after the Covid-19 crisis to promote democracy, peace, and security.