Jakarta (VNA) - Vietnam has done well in its role as President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) in a “very difficult” year for the whole world, a parliamentarian from the Legislative Council of Brunei has said.

In an interview given to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Jakarta on the occasion of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA (AIPA 41), scheduled to take place from September 8-10, parliamentarian Nik Hafimi Abdul Haadii, on behalf of the Legislative Council of Brunei, emphasised the significance of the event in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

As President of AIPA in 2020, Vietnam has made many contributions to strengthening ASEAN’s cohesion and proactive response amid current regional and international challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Accordingly, under Vietnam’s leadership, AIPA has made cohesive responses over the last year in a spirit of being “cohesive and responsive” in its role as an entity that oversees parliamentary progress in the region, she said.

She noted that in a spirit of solidarity, AIPA has organised many online conferences and interactive activities between member countries during Vietnam’s AIPA presidency term as the COVID-19 crisis has taken hold.

According to the parliamentarian, the holding of the third meeting of the AIPA Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPACODD 3) and the 11th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Caucus showed that AIPA parliamentarians have contributed not only to the legislative process but also to the “new normal”.

She expressed a hope that in this new era, AIPA will continue its development based on momentum found in 2020.

Cooperative activities between the Legislative Council of Brunei and Vietnam’s National Assembly in recent times have contributed to further promoting cooperation between the two countries as well as to building and developing AIPA, Abdul Haadii stressed.

She sent her sincere congratulations to the NA and wished AIPA 41 great success.

At the upcoming 41st General Assembly of AIPA, the Legislative Council of Brunei will officially take over AIPA presidency from Vietnam’s NA./.