Laos highly appreciates Vietnam’s role as ASEAN Chair

TIN LIÊN QUAN
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Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (right) received Ambassador Sengphet Houngboungnuang in November 2019. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Lao People’s Democratic Republic affirms that Lao stands ready to cooperate closely with ASEAN countries, in particular Vietnam, ASEAN Chair for 2020 as Vietnam fulfills the tasks as ASEAN Chair with expected successes.

As we are aware, the world is facing many challenges in the year 2020 including the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We face many constraints and they have severe impacts on ASEAN as well as other regions. Many meetings have been postponed, with impacts on interrupting cooperation mechanisms. Constraints were placed on travelling and economic development has been negatively impacted…However, Laos highly appreciates Vietnam’s role as ASEAN Chair, with results in video conferences namely the ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 and ASEAN+3 Special Summit on COVID-19 (April 14^th, 2020); ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Retreat in Nha Trang (January 2020), ASEAN Economic Ministerial Meetings on RCEP and other meetings.

Laos is fully supportive of and welcomes Vietnam’s role as ASEAN Chair for 2020 and is in full agreement with Vietnam’s theme “Cohesive and Responsive”, in which Laos agrees to implement the following priorities in 2020, namely: (i) Promote ASEAN solidarity and unity, promote ASEAN centrality and contribute actively to the maintenance of regional peace, security and stability in a landscape of growing and complex uncertainties; (ii) Enhance ASEAN integration and connectivity. Promote economic development and the capacity of ASEAN people in adapting and coping with the 4.0 Industrial Revolution and digital economy; (iii) Promote the ASEAN symbol and create ASEAN common value and disseminate widely to the people; (iv) Promote relations between ASEAN and partners for peace and sustainable development; (v) Enhance capacity and effectiveness of ASEAN operations.

In my view, this theme is relevant and just given the urgency of the matter. One objective of ASEAN in 2020 is to contribute towards a more solid ASEAN Community. I hope that, by the end of this year, ASEAN will overcome the crisis and ASEAN cooperation mechanisms will soon resume normal operations.

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