The parliament of the Kingdom of Cambodia is hosting the two-day meetings of the First Executive Council and the Standing Committee on Staff and Financial Regulations of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly from 26-27 September 2016 in capital Phnom Penh. Prior to the meetings held at Sofitel Phnom Penh Pokeethra Hotel, H.E. Dr. Nguon Nhel, Second Vice President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 9^th Asian Parliamentary Assembly, has granted a courtesy call to all heads of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly delegations and the leadership of the APA Secretariat who are present here in the Kingdom of Cambodia to attend the aforementioned meetings.

In the name of Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei HENG SAMRIN, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia and incumbent President of the APA, H.E. Dr. Nguon Nhel extended his warm welcome to all honorable delegates and His Excellency APA Acting Secretary-General who are coming to participate in the Standing Committee on Staff and Financial Regulations and the First Executive Council Meetings of the APA in the Kingdom of Cambodia. He said the parliament of the Kingdom of Cambodia is absolutely delighted to warmly welcome all the honorable delegates to Cambodia to attend the said very crucial events. The First Executive Council Meeting is very important for APA because it not only continues to promote the joint affairs of the APA, but also helps speed up a productive and fruitful discussion towards the 9^th Plenary Session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, which will be hosted by the parliament of Cambodia from 28 November to 1 December 2016 in Cambodia’s historical province of Siem Reap where the famed Angkor Wat is located. It is stressed that the parliament of Cambodia successfully hosted the 8^th Plenary Session of the APA in the late 2015. The Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) was born in 2016 and transformed from the Association of Asian Parliament for Peace (AAPP), which was established in 1999. The Asian Parliamentary Assembly comprises of 42 member parliaments of Asian countries.

Addressing the heads of the delegations attending the First Executive Council Meeting, H.E. Dr.Nguon Nhel, said since its inception in 1999, the Association of Asian Parliament for Peace (AAPP) was transformed into the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in 2006, whose goal is to become the Asian Parliament (AP) in the future, is a long-term vision to which APA member parliaments have voice their support. To meet this goal, however, we need plenty of time, human resources and finance. When travelling on a long journey, we will encounter difficulties and can not speculate about how much time we will spend to achieve the APA’s vision, the National Assembly Second Vice-President emphasized. He went on that reaching the goal of a European parliament, for example, took more than five decades. Yet we are strongly determined and committed to working together in carrying out this important task.

In the meantime, H.E. Dr. Nguon Nhel recalled that Cambodia went through painful experiences with protracted wars and dramatically lost its status, sliding especially into the Pol Pot genocidal regime from 19975-1979 in which development, democracy and respect for human rights were abolished. “Under the leadership of the three Samdechs, Samdech Akka Moha Pothisal CHEA SIM, Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei HENG SAMRIN and Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Cambodia was liberated from the regime of darkness, bringing peace, freedom, security and development. If there was no 7 January 1979 liberation day, there would be no development today, APA should use this experience as an example---Cambodia and other countries, including APA members, will never want war. What the world wants is peace, freedom, security, safety, cooperation and development” H.E. Dr. Nguon Nhel emphasized.