Thai PM to attend online ASEAN+3 meeting on COVID-19

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (Source: Xinhua/VNA)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will attend a teleconference of ASEAN+3 on April 14 to discuss coordination in implementing stronger measures to protect the bloc’s 650 million population against COVID-19.

The one-day event will emphasise on the intensification of joint efforts to prevent the pandemic, alongside drastic measures that each ASEAN member state is carying out.

Leaders of the 10-nation bloc will talk with their counterparts from the three partners namely China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Thai media cited a source close to the meeting preparations as saying the meeting is expected to have two declarations delivered.       

Earlier at the 25th meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council on April 10, all foreign ministers of ASEAN member countries agreed to set up an ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, according to Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

With a combined GDP of 2.8 trillion USD, ASEAN has also been badly hit by COVID-19 as the situation in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines remains volatile./.