The 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM 53) opens on September 9 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has been doing its utmost alongside other ASEAN member states inrealising the ASEAN Community, while fulfilling the Chairmanship 2020 for acohesive and responsive ASEAN, said a Vietnamese official.
On the sidelines ofthe 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM 53) which opened on September 9, Director of the ASEAN Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vu Ho said the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the regional and the world as well, causing adverse impacts in terms of community health, economic development and socialstability.
Over the past eightmonths in its capacity as ASEAN Chair, Vietnam has displayed its leading role in gatheringregional efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the bloc's centrality, he said.
Vietnam had putforth numerous initiatives which now officially become ASEAN initiatives in2020. These initiatives include the COVID-19 Response Fund, the RegionalReserve of Medical Supplies and the Standard Operating Procedures.
“These initiatives form part of an ASEAN comprehensive recovery plan that not only support the joint response to the pandemic but also strengthen the bonds amongASEAN member states,” he underlined.
According to theofficial, as Chair of ASEAN 2020, Vietnam has hosted ASEAN conferences on allthe three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely the ASEANPolitical-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and theASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
Ho said ASEAN has enteredits 6th decade, and celebrated the 5th year of the ASEAN Community. The bloc has grown strongly tobecome the world’s 5th largest economy, a key actor that holdscentrality in advancing dialogue and cooperation for peace, security andprosperity in the region.
AMM 53 is one ofthe highlights of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year. Theevent consists of 20 meetings via video conference, joined by 27 delegationsfrom the four continents of different time zones. They include the 21st ASEAN 3Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 10th East Asia Summit ForeignMinisters’ Meeting, and the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum.
In the framework ofthe event, 40 documents are expected to be adopted, including theAMM 53 Joint Communique./.
