A delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly led by NA ViceChairwoman Tong Thi Phong is attending the 20 th annual meeting of theAsia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-20) that kicked off in Tokyo ,Japan , on Jan. 9.

The four-day event drew the participation of parliamentarians from 27 APPF members and a number of observer countries.

Opening the meeting, Speaker of Japan’s House of RepresentativesTakahiro Yokomichi, who is also APPF-20 President, said over the pasttwo decades, the Asia-Pacific region had to face a wide range ofdifficulties such as the financial crisis in Asia during 1990s, theglobal financial crisis 2008, changes in the international securitysystem after the Cold War, the fight against terrorism and naturaldisasters which occurred on a large scale.

Regional countries, however, have united to surpass those challenges, Yokomichi stressed.

He called on the APPF members to continue their cooperation to create afoundation for further development in the Asia-Pacific region even whenthe world is entering a new era of numerous difficulties andchallenges.

Sharing Yokomichi’s views, Kenji Hirata,President of the Japanese Senate and APPF-20 co-President, highlightedthe significance of enhancing cooperation between regional parliaments.

The delegates will discuss measures to fosterregional cooperation in such areas as natural disasters, the UnitedNations’ Millennium Development Goals and nuclear safety.

Other issues regarding regional and international political, economicand security situations as well as Japan ’s proposals for changes inAPPF-20’s procedures will also be put on the table.

The event is expected to adopt the Tokyo Joint Declaration which outlines orientation and new vision for the forum.

Established in March, 1993, APPF is a place for memberparliamentarians to discuss measures to step up regional cooperationtowards peace and development in the region./.