VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - House Speaker and the 2023 ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) President, Puan Maharani, has expressed the hope that the agreements reached during the 44th AIPA General Assembly will be followed up at the next assembly in Laos.

"The agreements reached at the 44th AIPA Session will be followed up and discussed again. Matters that have not reached an agreement must be discussed again," she said at a press conference after closing the 44th AIPA General Assembly here on Wednesday.

It is also hoped that AIPA will become a bridge that unites the differences between member countries, she said. "So that an agreement can be reached, which will indeed be mutually agreed upon as a joint commitment of ASEAN countries," she added.

Regarding Laos, which will host the next AIPA session in 2024, Maharani said that Indonesia hopes the session will be held before the end of September because there will be a change in the Indonesian parliament after the 2024 elections.

"If (it is held) in October, it will be ahead of the new government in Indonesia. We hope that Indonesia can still actively participate in the 45th AIPA in Laos," she added.

Earlier, Maharani presented the gavel of the AIPA session to the Speaker of the Lao Parliament, Xaysomphone Phomvihane, symbolically handing over the AIPA chairmanship to Laos.

This was done after the submission of a report regarding the results of the commissions' meetings at AIPA, which was followed by the signing of a joint communique by representatives of AIPA countries.

Separately, Maharani said that the House, which is holding the AIPA presidency this year, will lend full support to Laos' chairmanship of the 45th AIPA in 2024.

"I hope that Laos will successfully hold the AIPA General Assembly next year," she added after holding a bilateral meeting with Phomvihane at the House Building here on Wednesday.

The House, she added, is also ready to assist in the implementation of the 45th AIPA General Assembly through mentoring and sharing experiences.

"I declare the readiness of the House to assist in the implementation of the 45th AIPA General Assembly in 2024 in Laos. I hope that the implementation of the 45th General Assembly in Laos will adopt the continuation of the 44th AIPA theme," she said.

The 44th General Session of AIPA was one of the culminations of the House's chairmanship of the AIPA, in line with Indonesia's 2023 ASEAN chairmanship.

The 44th General Assembly of AIPA, which was held in Jakarta from Monday (August 7, 2023) to Wednesday (August 9) was themed "Responsive Parliaments for a Stable and Prosperous ASEAN."

Besides 9 ASEAN members, except Myanmar, the 44th General Assembly of AIPA was also attended by 18 observer and guest countries, as well as representatives from 9 international organizations. The total number of delegates who attended the general assembly was 568. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) and president of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Puan Maharani, handed over the chairmanship of AIPA to Laos on Wednesday.

"As the 44th president of AIPA, I hand over the gavel to Laos, as a token of the Lao presidency for the next AIPA session," Maharani said here.

She symbolically handed over the gavel of the AIPA session to the president of the National Assembly of Laos and Speaker of the Lao parliament, Xaysomphone Phomvihane, as a symbol of the AIPA presidency relay.

The 45th AIPA General Assembly will take place in October 2024 in Laos.

Maharani also handed over the AIPA flag relay as a sign of the handover of the AIPA secretariat from Indonesia to Laos. She expressed the hope that Laos will continue Indonesia's efforts and make the next AIPA General Assembly a success.

"I also appreciate the commitment of all delegations in promoting the spirit of ASEAN unity to address all differences that arise in every discussion at the 44th AIPA General Assembly," she added.

In the meantime, Phomvihane said that the Lao parliament is ready to organize the 45th AIPA by learning from the success of the Indonesian parliament.

"As the host, Indonesia has held the 44th AIPA session very successfully, and Laos is ready to continue this success in the 45th AIPA session in 2024," Phomvihane said after receiving the AIPA presidency relay from Maharani.

The House of Representatives of Indonesia hosted the AIPA session as chair of AIPA for 2023. This was in line with Indonesia's 2023 ASEAN chairmanship. (Antaranews)

A Pakistani high court on Wednesday turned down an appeal by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan that his conviction on corruption charges be suspended, his lawyer said, suggesting it was unlikely he would be released on bail anytime soon.

Khan, 70, has been at the centre of political turmoil since he was ousted last year as prime minister in a no-confidence vote, raising concerns about Pakistan's stability as it grapples with an economic crisis.

He has been barred from holding any public office for five years since he commenced a three-year prison sentence on Saturday on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts acquired by him and his family during his 2018-2022 tenure.

The court asked the concerned authorities to respond to Khan's plea to be moved to an A-class jail cell in a prison in Rawalpindi, which has better facilities that he is entitled to as a former prime minister, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said outside the court.

The case was adjourned for an indefinite time, Panjutha said, adding; "Our request to suspend the conviction wasn't accepted."

The court will issue a written order later in the day.

Khan, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested at his Lahore house and is currently in a prison near Islamabad. (Reuters)

China has notified Japan that it is considering holding talks between their leaders in Indonesia in September, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

The meeting would be held between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, Kyodo said, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and Chinese officials. (Reuters)