Phnom Penh, 23 October 2024 – Samdech Rathsaphea Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly, led a high-level Cambodian parliamentary delegation safely back home from Vientiane on Wednesday. The return to Phnom Penh followed a diplomatic mission from 17 to 23 October to take part in the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Under the theme “Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Connectivity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN,” the General Assembly aimed to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, linking regional bilateral diplomatic, legislative and people-to-people ties for common peace and prosperity. Samdech Khuon Sudary and other delegation members actively took part in fora and other meetings. They also met with other delegations in bilateral and multilateral settings. The Assembly unanimously approved 37 resolutions, with Cambodia co-sponsoring seven.

During her visit, Samdech Khuon Sudary had an informal friendly breakfast with the Honourable Dr. Xaysomphone Phomvihane, President of the Lao National Assembly, the Honourable Mr. Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Honourable Mr. Wanmuhamadnoor Matha, President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand. She also met with Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Johari Abdul, Speaker of the Malaysian house of representatives, the Dewan Rakyat, and the Honourable Mr Moundir Bouden, Vice President of the Algerian People’s National Assembly. In addition, she had a  bilateral meeting with the Honourable Dr. Xaysomphone Phomvihane, who chaired the AIPA General Assembly.

The Cambodian delegation also met the Honourable Mrs. Maria Fernanda, Speaker of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, and the Honourable Mr. Ahmed Abdul Wahed Qarata, Second Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Bahrain, along with delegates from Azerbaijan, China, Germany, India, Morocco, Norway, Turkey, and Russia.

The presence of the Cambodian parliamentary delegation at the important regional inter-parliamentary forum provided an opportunity to enhance the country’s parliamentary diplomacy and uphold its standing on the international stage.