Vietnam meets targets set for ASEAN Chairmanship Year
VOV.VN - Deputy Foreign Minister and General Secretary of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee Nguyen Quoc Dung explained the progress relating to the implementation of initiatives that Vietnam has outlined during its year as ASEAN Chair when talking recently to the media.
The 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, which are scheduled to take place from November 12 to November 15, marks ASEAN’s most important activity of the year. Indeed, the year’s outcomes will be scrutinised there, therefore the success of the summit will be linked with the success of the country in its role as ASEAN Chair.
This comes as the implementation of a range of Vietnamese initiatives have basically been finalised, which is shown through the negotiating of documents.
“The most important goal of Vietnam at the summit is success, but the event is a success only when the outcomes of all works we have done since the beginning of this year are announced,” stated Deputy Minister Dung.
Furthermore, he went on to say that the country took on the role of ASEAN Chair at a difficult time due to the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the nation swiftly shifted its priority to fight against the pandemic. It also continued to launch a number of initiatives in an effort to maintain the development of the ASEAN Community, therefore representing a significant challenge for the ASEAN Chair due to the workload sometimes doubling or tripling.
However, through Vietnam’s best efforts it has achieved the desired results of targets set during its year as ASEAN Chair.
During the building process of the ASEAN Community, Vietnamese initiatives coupled with ASEAN’s joint efforts served to help the region stand firm against the impact of COVID-19 and launch quick recovery efforts.
The results announced during the 37th ASEAN Summit will mark plans beyond 2025 for ASEAN, Deputy Minister Dung said, adding that the nation’s contributions will help both the short-term and long-term activities of the bloc.
Asked about ASEAN’s connectivity in terms of economic recovery post-COVID-19, the Deputy Minister said ASEAN has been aware of the severe impact of the pandemic and no single country can fight it alone.
As ASEAN Chair, the bloc has promptly issued statements in response to the pandemic, emphasising the need for ASEAN member countries to closely co-ordinate mutual efforts, citing the creation of the ASEAN Coordinating Council.
At the event, senior leaders will announce the establishment of an ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases, Deputy Minister Dung added.
