Establishment of Asian Parliament, APA major goal: Official

He noted that the special committee for preparing the ground for establishment of Asian Parliament will convene in Pakistan in the near future.

APA is an inter-parliamentarian organization which replaced the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP), the official added.

He said that AAPP was established in 1999 to boost peace in Asia and has 42 permanent members and 16 non-member observer states.

'We want observer non-member states like Australia, New Zealand and Japan to become permanent members.'

APA was established in Tehran in 2006 and its permanent secretary was settled in Tehran, Majidi said.

He added that APA has already held 9 meetings in Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Cambodia is the current head of APA and after the end of its two year tenure, Turkey will assume the position, the official noted.

He said promotion of democracy, justice and rejection of foreign influence are among APA top priorities.

APA tries to boost peace, security, convergence and welfare in Asia, Majidi added.

He underlined that APA can help the Asian countries resist problems such as terrorism, poverty and diseases.

Establishment of APA needs large support from Asian governments, the official said.

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