Thai media, Indonesian newspapers highlight 36th ASEAN Summit

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At the event.

English-language daily newspaper Bangkok Post of Thailand ran an article saying that this year marks the half-way point of the grouping's 10-year journey toward the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, which envisaged deeper integration after the agreement to establish the ASEAN Community back in 2015.

It is the ideal time for the bloc to assess their work in achieving those aspirations, it underlined.

“The COVID-19 pandemic as well as the economic slump may force ASEAN leaders to look inwards, focusing on their own crisis, over the grouping's mission. But at the same time, some optimists believe the pandemic gives ASEAN an opportunity to work as a group to escalate cooperation under the human security framework,” noted the article.

Meanwhile, the PBS broadcasting center highlighted that Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha proposed three paths for actions to advance ASEAN in the post-COVID-19 era at the summit on June 26.

The full speech of Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit and other related articles were published at the website of the Thai Government’s Public Relations Department.

Dr. Balaz Szanto of the International and Strategic Studies Faculty at the Webster University of Thailand underlined that Vietnam is an important member of ASEAN.

The country’s leadership as Chair of ASEAN will influence major issues, including the settlement of territorial disputes at sea and others in the ASEAN agenda, he noted.

ASEAN Declaration on Human Resources Development for the changing world of work

At the same time, Indonesian newspapers highlighted the 36th ASEAN Summit which was held on June 26 via video conference under the chair of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The Insider Stories quoted PM Phuc’s opening remarks as saying that strengthening the cooperation between the countries around the region is a crucial thing that must be done during the pandemic period to accelerating the regional economic recovery.

PM Phuc noted the COVID-19 has wiped out the achievements that humans have accumulated over the years, robbing and threatening the lives of millions of people. He said the World Bank projected that the global economy would experience a serious decline with a 5.2 percent contraction and income per capita would drop by 3.6 percent.

Seventy to a hundred million people would fall into extreme poverty, and the risk of social instability would mount. More than 40 percent of all manufacturing industries and business sectors across countries are being directly affected by lockdown and restrictions imposed for disease control.

“While the entire world is stretched thin in the fight against the pandemic, irresponsible acts and acts in violation of international law are still taking place, affecting the environment of security and stability in certain regions, including in our region,” the newspaper quoted PM Phuc as writing.

Meanwhile, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi added that apart from the epidemic was a real demonstration of the members’ solidarity and leadership manifested in concrete regional cooperation. According to him, such solidarity is needed in response to this pandemic.

The Tempo website cited the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi as saying that at the summit, President Joko Widodo talked of two major challenges faced by ASEAN in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, namely COVID-19 mitigation and its impact on social economy.

According to Kompas, President Widodo told the summit that he had assigned relevant ministers to discuss the possibility of opening an ASEAN tourism corridor, saying that this is very important to accelerate economic recovery and indicate the strategic significance of the ASEAN Community.

Kontan and Republika newspapers said the Indonesian President emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation among ASEAN member nations in the fight against COVID-19.

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