(KPL) Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man met with Ambassadors and Charges d'Affaires of Southeast Asian countries and Timor Leste in his new capacity in Hanoi on Jun 13. 
Expressing welcome remarks to the ASEAN and Timor Leste guests, the chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam said that he was deeply touched by the congratulations from the leaders of the National Assemblies of Southeast Asian countries on the occasion of his election as Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam.  
He expressed his congratulations to Laos for taking on the responsibility of ASEAN Chair and Chair of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2024. 
He expressed his confidence that, under the leadership of the Lao Chair, ASEAN and AIPA will continue to achieve new successes, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region.  

He said that the Vietnamese National Assembly is ready to support and accompany the Lao National Assembly to successfully undertake these responsibilities.  
The host also highly appreciated the achievements of ASEAN in recent times and was pleased that Timor-Leste will soon become a full member of the ASEAN family.
“The neighboring Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN hold a special, important position, being a top priority and an inseparable part of Vietnam's foreign policy. Currently, in addition to the highly developing bilateral and multilateral relationships at the state level, the relationship between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the National Assemblies of Southeast Asian countries is also experiencing many positive developments,” said the Vietnamese host.  
He spoke highly of ASEAN's efforts to build many cooperative frameworks in new areas such as the digital economy, circular economy, digital transformation, and energy transition, noting that ASEAN is also actively negotiating and upgrading many Trade Agreements both within the bloc and with partners such as China, South Korea, Japan, and India.  
He emphasized the need to further enhance AIPA's contribution to maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region. 
“With its strategic geo-position, our region is both a focal point for cooperation and a hotspot for competition. Accordingly, it is necessary to focus on promoting AIPA's role in consolidating and spreading the values of dialogue and consultation, promoting behavioral norms, and emphasizing adherence to international law, engaging partners to participate and contribute responsibly to the region, respecting ASEAN's central role, and together with ASEAN addressing common challenges,” added the host.