New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) India’s application for observer status at the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) was approved Friday at its 31st general assembly held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
‘India’s flag was ceremoniously placed on the dais whereupon the leader of our delegation G.V. Harsha Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP, made his acceptance speech reaffirming the commitment of the Indian parliament to further deepen and strengthen relations with ASEAN countries and parliaments,’ said a release issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat here.
India is the eighth observer to AIPA. The other seven observers are Australia, Canada, European Union, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia.
‘In our plenary statement, the Indian delegation said that cooperation between the parliament of India and AIPA added a new dimension to India’s Look East Policy and reflected the high priority attached by India to strengthen its relations with ASEAN countries,’ the statement said.
The Indian delegation also included R.C. Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, and J.P. Sharma, joint secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Members of AIPA are the parliaments of Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Philippines, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Myanmar is a special observer at AIPA.
