ASEAN 2020: Vietnam lauded for leading ASEAN Community through challenges

The video conference was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Foreign delegates lauded Vietnam for her efforts in leading the ASEAN Community through challenges, while attending the 27th ASEAN Coordinating Council as part of the online 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-53) and related meetings that opened on September 9.

The video conference was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

It was joined by ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN foreign ministers, ASEAN senior officials of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), among others.

Vietnam has made tremendous efforts in maintaining cooperation and implementing fully, effectively and substantially the ASEAN Year 2020 initiatives, the session heard, stressing those efforts have proved successful. 

Participants heard a report of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) on ASEAN response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which was delivered by Nguyen Quoc Dung, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, ASEAN SOM head, and Secretary General of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee.

They praised the ACCWG-PHE Group’s role in coordinating the COVID-19 response, saying they have contributed to the joint efforts in the COVID-19 fight and overall post-pandemic recovery.

Participants reviewed the reports and proposals made by the group. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh urged the group to actively implement the initiatives and agreements, thus submitting reports to the 37 ASEAN Summit slated for November this year.

AMM 53 is one of the highlights of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year. The event consists of 20 meetings via video conference, joined by 27 delegations from four continents of different time zones. They include the 21st ASEAN 3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum./.