Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the ASEAN Leader’s Meeting (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh onApril 24 attended the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting held at the ASEAN Secretariat’sheadquarters in Jakarta, the first in-person meeting of its kind in2021.
Sharing concerns of other participants on the Myanmarsituation and ASEAN’s role, Chinh affirmed that Vietnam, as a non-permanentmember of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021 and the president forApril, has worked to create favourable conditions for the ASEAN member nations tocollaborate closely at UN forums in mobilising support for the bloc’s effortsin approaching and finding suitable solutions to the Myanmar issue.
At their meeting, ASEAN leaders focused on discussing ASEANCommunity building, the bloc’s external relations, and issues of regional andinternational concerns.
They said facing many challenges to regional peace,stability and development, more than ever, ASEAN needs to push for solidarityand mutual assistance to overcome difficulties and sustain its centrality andposition. Stepping up COVID-19 response and promoting comprehensive recovery areamong the top priorities of the bloc at the moment.
The leaders agreed to continue effectively implementing pandemic-response initiatives passed last year, particularly completing andconducting a plan for employing the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund as soon as possibleto buy vaccines and support recovery efforts.
They said they back the ASEAN Responses to Emergencies andDisasters (ASEAN SHIELD), an initiative of Brunei.
Participating nationsalso agreed ASEAN should further strengthening effective, practical, andbalanced dialogues and cooperation with its partners based on its basicprinciples and ensuring its central role.
They supported proposals for increasing the bloc’s relationswith China, Australia, the US, and the UK.
On the Myanmar situation, the leaders expressed their concern and said it is worsening, and held that it is necessary forASEAN to promote its role and employ its existing mechanisms to assist thenation in line with the bloc’s spirit of solidarity and non-interference in internal affairs. Accordingly, ASEAN representatives will be sent to Myanmar tolearn about the situation, contact with the sides involved, and propose ways andmeasures to promote dialogue and conciliation.
ASEAN member states agreed to continue boosting humanitarianassistance efforts to help Myanmar people via the ASEAN Coordinating Centre forHumanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA)./.
VNA
