The 46th AIPA General Assembly is scheduled to take place from September 7 to 14 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in September 1977, AIPA serves as a regional parliamentary body aimed at strengthening ties among Southeast Asian lawmakers.
Johari’s visit to Cambodia followed an invitation extended by Khuon Sudary, President of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA), during the 45th AIPA General Assembly held in Phnom Penh last October.
During his visit on Thursday and Friday, Johari met separately with Sudary and Senate President Hun Sen. Cambodia reaffirmed its support for Malaysia in hosting the upcoming AIPA General Assembly.
In an interview with Khmer Times on Friday, Johari highlighted that his visit to Cambodia represents a crucial advancement in the relationship between the two countries.
“Normally it is a tradition that the host country, we just write a letter for invitation. But I was thinking this time I want to do it differently. So, I bring the letter personally and physically invite the guests to come to AIPA. That shows how we respect them as members of ASEAN,” he said in the interview at the Malaysian Embassy where he also held talks with Malaysian Ambassador Shaharuddin Onn.
He also noted that establishing “trust” is essential for demonstrating respect for the Kingdom of Cambodia and other ASEAN member states.
“Number one is about trust; if you don’t trust your counterpart, that’s when the problem comes in. I humbly come and invite you; it makes a lot of difference,” he added. “We have been there for almost 60 years; this is a zone of peace, freedom, and neutrality. We want ASEAN to be living in that and to enjoy that, the moment of peace, the moment of neutrality, and we want it to be the enhanced region.”
As the 46th President of AIPA, Johari also assured that various issues would be addressed during the upcoming meeting, acknowledging that each country likely has its own concerns, and mentioned that the meeting could serve as a clearinghouse since all parties would be present. While there might be some differences, he emphasised the importance of not exaggerating these issues.
“In the meeting, of course, there will be issues that we will raise; I will come up with a resolution. Probably, every country has certain issues, and as we said, that meeting will probably become the clearinghouse because everybody will be there,” he said.
He also reaffirmed the commitment to working closely with Cambodia’s government to boost the legislative cooperation, to strengthen further the momentum of relations between the two countries, as well as ASEAN relations.
Thong Mengdavid, a Geopolitical Analyst and Lecturer at the Institute of International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP), highlighted the strategic significance of Johari’s visit. “This visit strengthens bilateral ties and deepens economic, cultural, and political cooperation between Malaysia and Cambodia while reinforcing mutual support for ASEAN principles,” Mengdavid said.
He added that Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair, will prioritise resolving pressing regional issues, including disputes in the South China Sea and the Myanmar crisis.
Cr:KhmerTime