PHNOM PENH, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 32nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-32) was held here on Tuesday to promote closer cooperation among ASEAN member states.
The assembly, under the theme "Role of AIPA in Building a Prosperous ASEAN Community", brought together the heads of all parliaments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Also, a number of observer countries including Australia, Canada, China, European Parliament, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States, attended the assembly.
The opening ceremony was held at the Phnom Penh's Peace Palace under the presidency of the President of the Senate Chea Sim, the President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin and the Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Hun Sen said that the assembly was very important to help bring prosperous to peoples in ASEAN and to accelerate ASEAN's efforts to form as a community by 2015.
"I believe that the AIPA-32 will give more support to the Governments of ASEAN to reduce the gaps between the old and new member states and to alleviate poverty in the region," he said.
Meanwhile, Heng Samrin said the assembly was to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, drug combat, anti-human and sexual trafficking, cross-border crime crackdown and migrant workers' rights in the ASEAN.
The AIPA-32, running from Sept. 18-24, expects to adopt a variety of documents on political, economic, social and women affairs, rights of migrant workers, and drug fighting in order to build stronger cooperation and relations among the ASEAN member countries.
There will also be dialogue between ASEAN and observer countries on integrated water resources management for sustainable development in the region, disaster management and emergency responses, and cooperation toward ASEAN Free of Land Mines and Unexploded Ordnance.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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