Parliaments of Belarus, Laos sign memorandum for cooperation
A memorandum for cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the National Assembly of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has been signed in Vientiane, BelTA has learned.
The document was inked by Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko and Chairman of the National Assembly of Laos Saysomphone Phomvihane.
One of the goals of the memorandum is to give additional impetus to joint efforts to develop the legal framework for bilateral cooperation in multiple areas, such as mutual protection of classified information, legal assistance in civil cases, criminal cases, extradition, customs matters, and culture.
A reminder, the Belarusian parliamentary delegation headed by Chairman of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko is paying an official visit to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. On 19 October, Igor Sergeyenko spoke at the first plenary session of the 45th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held under the theme “The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Connectivity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN” in Vientiane.
The Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA) was established in 1977. Currently, ASEAN has 10 member states: Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The AIPA has 23 observers. The parliament of Belarus received the observer status in September 2011 in Phnom Penh (Kingdom of Cambodia) at the 32nd AIPA General Assembly. This gave Belarus an access to a platform for a permanent dialogue with the member countries of the organization on economic, political, social and humanitarian issues. Belarusian MPs regularly participate in events organized by the AIPA, including the annual AIPA General Assembly.
Photos courtesy of the press service of the House of Representatives
