MINSK, 31 August (BelTA) - Belarus will take part in the 39th ASEAN IPA General Assembly in Singapore on 3-7 September, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.
The Belarusian delegation will include Dmitry Shevtsov, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission for International Affairs of the House of Representatives, deputy head of the National Assembly’s delegation for interparliamentary contacts with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). “The Belarusian MP is scheduled to make a speech at the plenary meeting,” the press service said.
Belarus’ National Assembly was granted observer status in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in 2011. The Belarusian Parliament annually participates in the AIPA events using its status to strengthen contacts with the countries of South-East Asia.
The ASEAN IPA seeks to promote closer inter-parliamentary ties between the parliaments of the ASEAN member states, to develop contacts and mutual understanding among the member states and with other national, regional and international parliamentary organizations. Founded in 1977 in Manila, the ASEAN IPA includes the following states of Southeast Asia: Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The parliaments of Australia, India, Canada, China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States, Japan, and the European Parliament have observer status in the ASEAN IPA.