Vietnam backs ICAPP's efforts for regional peace, security and stability

NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the conference

The top Vietnamese legislator led a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State to attend the 12th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) which opened on November 22 in Phnom Penh.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the ICAPP Standing Committee Chung Eui-Yong said that the world is facing many geopolitical, economic and social pressures and challenges, and conflicts between countries are harming the speed of economic development and the peaceful and stable environment of the world.

All these challenges are hindering the realization of the vision of peace, stability and prosperity and slowing down the progress made in implementing the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The only way to overcome current challenges is to return to the fundemental principles of international relations: independence, self-reliance, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, multilateralism, peaceful resolution of challenges and non-violence, he emphasized.

Chung Eui-Yong said he hopes that delegates attending the conference will share insights and enhance understanding of frameworks and tools for cooperation at the national, regional and global levels among leaders of political parties.

Reiterating the goals and foundations of ICAPP, the Chairman of the ICAPP Standing Committee of ICAPP said that this is the right time to renew ICAPP's commitments, and to address regional and global challenges as political parties need to connect all walks of life, and rally common efforts to promote inclusive and effective policies.

As a special guest at the event, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, on behalf of the Communist Party of Vietnam, expressed his confidence that the conference will be a great success as a contribution to enhancing understanding, deepening political trust and stepping up cooperation between political parties in Asia.

Vietnam is appreciative of the leading role of Cambodia and President Hun Sen personally in the mechanism of this year's conference aimed at maintaining an environment of peace, security, for common prosperity and development in the region, the top Vietnamese legislator said.

“The world today is undergoing many great changes with rapid and complex developments. In particular, in recent times, political instability, violence and conflicts in the world have been increasing, with scope and impact beyond national borders.

This is along with climate change, food security, water security and a series of non-traditional security issues such as transnational crime, terrorism, smuggling, and human trafficking. These realities reflect huge obstacles to world peace and human security, and even threaten the common prosperity of Asian nations.

According to the Vietnamese NA leader, Asia and ASEAN have recently continued to proactively put forward many initiatives to contribute to the common efforts to solve security and political issues of the international community.

In which, seeking peace and reconciliation for disagreements, disputes, conflicts, actively striving for peace, security, common prosperity and development of all humanity are both the goal and the international responsibility of each party and each nation, Man emphasized.

Sharing with leaders of Asian political parties attending the confrence, Man affirmed, "Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the nation advocates a consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification of foreign relations. It is ready to be a friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community. The country supports the ICAPP’s efforts in creating an environment of peace, security and stability in the region.

We believe that the key to peacefully resolving current disagreements and conflicts is through dialogue and multilateral cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and mutually beneficial cooperation, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter."

The delegates pose for a group photo at the event

Speaking at the conference, President of the Cambodian People's Party, Honorary President of the 12th General Assembly of ICAPP Samdech Akka Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen hailed the strengths of ICAPP with its continuous development since its establishment in 2000 until now, becoming the largest political party in terms of scale, influence and geopolitics.

“It is extremely important to maintain a world order based on the principles of trust, mutual understanding and mutual benefit to go the long way, harmonize and reduce tensions, and settle conflicts,” Hun Sen stressed.

The conference is set to adopt the Phnom Penh Peace Declaration on seeking peace and reconciliation through collective strength and cooperation of political parties within and outside Asia./.