Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit on June 26 (Photo: VNA)Jakarta (VNA) - EU Ambassadorto ASEAN IgorDriesmans has hailed Vietnam for successfully hosting the 36th ASEAN Summit byovercoming some truly unprecedented challenges.
In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Jakarta onJune 27, he said that for the first time in over half a century of relations, ASEAN leaders met and spoke virtually, by videoconference.
“As Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised in his speech during the summit,the world is changing irreversibly, and this event proves that ASEAN is readilyadapting to these changes,” he stated.
Thiswas the first official summit hosted by Vietnam as the 2020 ASEAN Chair, anddespite the difficult circumstances, it was able to achieve several majoroutcomes.
Hewent on to say that ASEAN Leaders continued to pursue an ambitious regionalintegration agenda, with the announcement of the “Vision Statement on A Cohesiveand Responsive ASEAN: Rising Above Challenges And Sustaining Growth”. With thiscomprehensive document, they reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing progressacross a wide range of areas, in pursuit of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.
In particular, the vision statementrecognised the need to deal effectively with the COVID-19 pandemic and at thesame time to promote socio-economic recovery in the region. The Leaders agreedto support a post-pandemic recovery plan for ASEAN with wide-ranging actionsthat aim to strengthen resilience of the regional economy.
TheLeaders also endorsed a number of important initiatives presented to them atthe summit, including the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, the ASEAN RegionalReserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, and the ASEANStandard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Public Health Emergencies.
They also approved the Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN EconomicCooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity, demonstrating their determination toensure the flow of food, medicines, as well as medical and other essentialsupplies in the region, he said, noting that these are all significantdeliverables under Vietnam’s theme of “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”.
Accordingto the diplomat, Vietnam’s focus on strengthening a cohesive and proactiveASEAN could not be more relevant than it is today, when the pandemic hasprovoked a global economic shock unlike any other in recent history.
“Prime Minister Phuc spoke of the need to uphold the spirit of solidarity,cooperation and the sense of responsibility towards the international community,and I believe that this has been the driving force behind Vietnam’schairmanship of ASEAN since the early days of this crisis,” he said.
Under the leadership of Vietnam, ASEAN has shown a real willingness to cometogether to find regional solutions and to mitigate the effects of this crisis.
Vietnam has also been able to reaffirm the centrality and unity of ASEAN bymaintaining the regular, substantive engagement between the region and itspartners since the outbreak of the pandemic. One example of such dialogue wasthe EU-ASEAN Ministerial Video Conference on the Coronavirus Disease in March,where ASEAN showed itself to be a united and cohesive group.
“These efforts are also bearing fruit in the fight against COVID-19, with theregion currently displaying a highproportion of recoveries from confirmed cases, low fatality rates and few incidentsof community transmission,” he noted.
Inthe immediate future, the focus should be on keeping control of the outbreak,while also launching a post-pandemic recovery. While global growth rates thisyear will likely be slower, with careful planning and the right actions thereis a chance that ASEAN economies remain reasonably stable and avoid recession. Thekey issues will be solidarity and cooperation based on jointly agreedproposals, and this is why initiatives like the Hanoi Plan of Action are soimportant.
Hestated that the EU will continue to support ASEAN’s efforts to achieve aprosperous, safe and united community, as this brings benefits to both ourregions.
“We were among the first partners to hold a meeting between our ForeignMinisters on COVID-19, and we will continue to exchange information to identifyways to tackle the crisis. We are currently collaborating on research intoCOVID-19, with 18 new EU-funded research projects open to ASEAN scientificorganisations”.
TheEU and its Member States have so far mobilised over 350 million EUR to supporthealth systems and economic recovery in ASEAN under a collective “Team Europe”approach. It will continue working with ASEAN to ensure that supply chainconnectivity is maintained.
And while the EU will continue to expand our free trade and investmentagreements in the region, such as the FTA with Vietnam that eliminated 99percent of customs duties, the bilateral relationship is no longer only abouttrade and cooperation. Increasingly, the EU and ASEAN are working together on securityand defence in areas such as maritime security.
“We are also intensifying our cooperation on non-traditional security threatsrelated to issues such as resource scarcity, infectious diseases, naturaldisasters, people smuggling, drug trafficking and transnational crime,” he said.
He also noted that green economy, digitalisation in the context of the FourthIndustrial Revolution, and the fight against climate change will increasinglybecome major areas of cooperation between the EU and ASEAN.
“The green agenda in particular is a top priority for the EU and for our partnershipwith ASEAN. The EU sees ASEAN as an indispensable partner in this regard –together, we can protect the international rules-based order and preserve our“global commons,” he said./.
VNA
