Fiji Hands Over APPF Presidency to Vietnam
(L-R) Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji Ruveni Nadalo and the National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong.
Deputy Speaker Hon. Ruveni Nadalo officially handed over the Presidency of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) to Vietnam in a special ceremony held in Hon Chi Mihn City on Thursday, 11th May 2017.
The ceremony was marked by the handing over of the APPF flag to Vietnam, and speeches by the Hon. Ruveni Nadalo, and the Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam. The remarkable ceremony was attended by the participants of the Seminar on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for the Parliaments in the Asia Pacific Region and also the President and Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Hon. Nadalo stated that Fiji was privileged to host the APPF this year and stands ready to assist Vietnam in the preparation of the next APPF Forum that will be held in Vietnam in January, 2018. “It was with honour and great pride that we had set out to prepare ourselves in hosting the forum of such magnitude and stature. In hosting this international event in January of this year, delegates were able to witness first hand our renowned hospitality and what we offered to the forum on raising awareness on issues of commonality to the region,” said Hon. Nadalo.
Speaking at the ceremony, on behalf of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stated that Vietnam is proud to serve as the APPF chair and hosting the 26th annual meeting of the APPF in 2018, adding that the Vietnamese legislature highly appreciates activities as well as the agenda of the forum.
The forum has contributed to strengthening friendship and cooperation between/among regional parliaments, cementing the dialogue mechanism, facilitating exchanges among parliamentarians, and upholding the role of parliaments in addressing regional issues, ensuring peace and sustainable development, she emphasized.
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, President of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Saber Chowdhury, IPU General Secretary Martin Chungong, and representatives from parliaments of Asian-Pacific countries attended the event.
