Chairman Of The Laos And Indonesia Parliament Meets In The DPR, Agrees To Eradicate Drugs

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (Dok DPR Photo)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Parliament and Laos agreed to increase cooperation in various sectors, including in eradicating transactional crimes.

That is one of the conclusions of the meeting of the Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives and the President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) 2023 Puan Maharani and the President of the National Assembly of Laos, Xaysomphone Phomvihane.

Puan welcomed the visit of Xaysomphone Phomvihane with the Laos Parliament delegation at the Nusantara Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta. The meeting of Puan and Chair of the Laos Parliament was held on the sidelines of the 44th AIPA General Assembly where the DPR acted as the host.

Puan gave full support for Laos chairmanship in the 45th AIPA in 2024. Puan stated that the DPR is ready to assist in the implementation of the 45th AIPA General Assembly through mentoring and sharing experiences.

At the bilateral meeting, Puan and the Speaker of the Laos Parliament briefly touched on a number of issues discussed at the ongoing AIPA General Assembly in Jakarta. One of them is related to the resolution of the conflict in Myanmar.

"We also agreed to encourage peace in Myanmar, regarding the implementation of five points of the agreement so that it can be implemented immediately by Myanmar so that peace will occur in Myanmar," he explained.

Bilateral relations between Indonesia and Laos itself have been established for 66 years and continue to improve. Moreover, between Indonesia and Laos, the Joint Commission for RI-Laos Cooperation has been established since 2013 which is expected to find a common solution to the problems faced by Indonesia-Laos.

Regarding political relations, Puan said Indonesia and Laos had made a positive contribution to regional stability. He also invited the Laos Parliament to always contribute to efforts to maintain stability and security in the region.

Indonesia pays special attention to the development of Laos Defense HR. This is marked by the involvement of Lao Armed Forces Officers in attending education in Indonesia," explained Puan.

Bung Karno's grandson asked the Laos Parliament to encourage its government to increase cooperation in the defense sector. Moreover, said Puan, Laos is interested in buying their defense aircraft and defense equipment from Indonesia.

"Hopefully the Laos Parliament can encourage follow-up to the purchase of aircraft produced by Indonesia, which is Interested by the Laos Government," he hoped.

Puan then discussed law enforcement cooperation. The Indonesian House of Representatives and the Laos Parliament also agreed to strengthen their commitment to eradicating transnational crimes, such as eradicating narcotics crimes which are considered very important in supporting the realization of a safe, stable, and prosperous ASEAN region.

Lao geographical conditions bordering Thailand and Myanmar are increasing the potential for smuggling and illicit trafficking of narcotics in the ASEAN region. The area of gold triangle as a producer of opium has an impact on narcotics products spread to various countries. "I encourage increased bilateral cooperation to overcome these narcotics crimes. The cooperation in question includes exchange of documents, materials and legal information that are public and technical cooperation in handling cross-border crimes," said Puan.

Puan also encouraged the Laos Parliament to support the ratification of the ASEAN Extradition Treaty or the ASEAN Extradition Agreement agreed by the two countries.

"I hope for Laos support for the ratification of the ASEAN Extradition Treaty in the ASEAN meeting to discuss this," he said.

The meeting also discussed the improvement of relations between the Indonesian people and Laos. Strengthening people's to people's relations can be done through cooperation in education and culture. "Students from Laos, including students, can get to know Indonesian culture more closely through the education route in Indonesia. On the other hand, students from Indonesia can visit Laos to get to know more closely the culture there," explained Puan.