Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Pham Binh Minh has recently written an article on ASEANcooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, in which he described solidarity as the grouping’s strength in the combat.

Fighting the epidemic is the shared responsibility ofeach country and government, and regional and global mechanisms, he said,adding that strong actions have been taken by governments and people worldwideto combat the common enemy.

Notably, ASEAN member countries have supported eachother and created the best possible conditions for ASEAN citizens in theircountries. This showed that the spirit of solidarity and at a higher level, internationalcooperation and coordination are essential factors.

As an organisation playing the central role in theregion, ASEAN is the common house for its members to overcome the pandemictogether, Minh said, stressing that the more than five-decade history hasproven that ASEAN has become stronger after each difficulty, challenge andcrisis.

“It is time for ASEAN to carry forward the valuabletradition and demonstrate its mission as the pillar for member countries duringthe hardest time,” he noted.

Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam, in itscapacity as ASEAN Chair, has worked together with other member countries to putforth the theme of “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN", aiming to push aheadwith the building of the ASEAN Community and bring into full play the bloc’srole in an evolving world.

The unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic andits unprecedented adverse impacts on all spheres have proven that the theme andmotto are more timely and relevant than ever.

Since the epidemic outbreak, Vietnam and ASEAN havedemonstrated their prompt response as well as their capacity to engage inpolicies and actions between members.

After the issuance of the ASEAN Chair’s Statement onthe bloc’s collective response to COVID-19 on February 14, ASEAN has convenedmany important ministerial-level meetings in the fields of health, economyand defence, in an effort to ensure comprehensive coordination in thefight against the disease.

At the same time, ASEAN has organised meetings withdialogue partners such as China, the EU and the US and major internationalorganisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO), where they exchangedexperience in the combat.

Minh said during the Special ASEAN Summit and theSpecial ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19, slated for April 14, participatingleaders will seek concrete measures and initiatives to promote cooperation inthe fight against the epidemic, while ensuring the dynamic and sustainabledevelopment of the region in the long term.

He suggested ASEAN and its partners promptly mobilise commonresources, especially warehouses of medical supplies to meet urgent demands, andset up a fund for COVID-19 prevention and control based on the existing resourcesand support of partners, including the United Nations and WHO.

Minh also proposed standardising and improving theefficiency of coordination in policies and actions, with attention paid tobuilding the ASEAN pandemic response process, firstly organising joint online exercisesin this regard.

Fighting the pandemic should come along withpreventing economic downturn and social unrest, no country should be left alonein the battle and nobody should be left behind, he said.

Minh emphasised the significance of a strategy forending the pandemic in each country and regional coordination to quickly stampout the disease and normalise and stabilise socio-economic lives of the countries.

He called on the countries to share and persistently implementcommon values of free trade, facilitate investment, ensure that supply chainsare not disrupted, and soon resume cross-border trade activities after thepandemic is contained, in order to optimise all momentum for inclusive andsustainable socio-economic development in the region.

Minh highlighted ASEAN’s responsibility and centralityin helping to ensure the world and the region integrate and develop moreprosperously and sustainably after the pandemic is stamped out.   

Over the past three months, Vietnam’s efforts in itscapacity the ASEAN Chair has reflected the “cohesive and responsive” spirit adopted for this year, he said.

Vietnam believes that with the solidarity and cohesionamong ASEAN member countries, as well as the close cooperation of partners,ASEAN will, together with the region and the world, overcome the COVID-19challenge, Minh concluded./.