PM Phuc calls for stronger ASEAN cooperation against COVID-19

The 36th ASEAN Summit offers an opportunity for regional countries to further enhance intra-bloc cooperation to repel challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on June 26.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaking at the event. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaking at the event. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

Chairing the plenary session of the summit, which took place in the form of a video conference, the Vietnamese leader urged ASEAN member nations to exert further efforts to complete the bloc’s cooperation goals for 2020 and effectively respond to all regional challenges, including COVID-19.

As the pandemic is still affecting both the region and the world, he expressed his hope that ASEAN countries will demonstrate a stronger determination to both contain the spread of disease and promote sustainable development.

The PM asked other ASEAN leaders to focus their discussion on orientations to foster cooperation in building the ASEAN Community, including the implementation of the 2020 priorities and measures to control the pandemic and to rejuvenate socio-economic development in the region.

During the session, ASEAN leaders reviewed the progress of the building of the ASEAN Community since their 35th Summit, and directed the implementation of cooperation plans between the group and its partners. They also compared notes on regional and international issues of common concern.

Vietnamese Deputy PM, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee Pham Binh Minh briefed participants on the bloc’s efforts and mutual cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi delivered a report on the recent cooperation among its member countries.

Speaking highly of Vietnam’s role as the ASEAN 2020 Chair, participants said with significant results in controlling the pandemic, ASEAN has sent out a strong signal of a regional organisation that is cohesive and proactive and playing a key role in regional development.

They also stressed the need to improve the skills of workers, considering this as an important factor for ASEAN’s development, especially in the digital age, and compared notes on regional and international issues of common concern.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc underlined the importance of strengthening ASEAN's central role in the region, as well as bolstering its relations with partners for peace, sustainable development and effective responses to emerging challenges.

ASEAN leaders approved the ASEAN Chair Statement on the outcomes of the 36th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Leaders' Vision Statement on a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN, and the ASEAN Declaration on human resource development for the changing world of work.