Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of ASEAN 2020 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) –Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of ASEAN 2020, delivered a speech at theopening ceremony of the ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 Response inHanoi on April 14 morning.
Thevideoconference holds a special significance in the context that the pandemic is spreading throughout the region and the globe, he said.
The leader added that all ASEAN member countries are strugglingto prevent it from negatively affecting the lives of the people and the socio-economicdevelopment, especially the service sector which accounts for 30 percent of thebloc's GDP.
However, in this difficult time, the ASEANCommunity is demonstrating its solidarity and mutual assistance, standing shoulderto shoulder to overcome hardships, manifested in the ASEAN Chairman's Statement on collective response to the COVID-19outbreak, the PM said.
ASEAN member states are strengthening their cooperation on health, defence, economy and tourism, while sharing andproviding essential supplies, medical equipment, and supporting citizens duringthe pandemic, he noted.
The association’s endevours have brought about encouraging results with disease control, and the number of infection casesamong the 650-million population is estimated at only about 15,000, which ismuch lower than the global rate.
Those initial results help ASEAN countriesto be more self-confident, PM Phuc said, adding that they, however, should not be subjective. He also called on the 10 memberstates to promote solidarity and determination with the spirit of “cohesive andresponsive” to win the fight against the pandemic./.
