Speaking at the 36th ASEAN Summit held in the form of a teleconference, he affirmed that as a strong community established in more than five decades ago, ASEAN can go through this time of hardship to deal with socio-economic impacts caused by the pandemic, and change the situation for the better.

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo (second from left) inspects a hospital providing treatment for COVID-19 patients in Jakarta, Indonesia

ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said that ASEAN countries and dialogue partners have taken actions to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

He spoke highly of the prompt and decisive actions of ASEAN members and their sound collaboration in COVID-19 response, as well as with their ASEAN Plus Three partners.

Meanwhile, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen affirmed that the 36th ASEAN Summit reflects Vietnam’s leadership as Chair of ASEAN despite obstacles brought by the pandemic.

He noted that ASEAN needs a clear and cautious economic recovery plan in the coming time, which devises scenarios for the gradual opening of borders in the region, intra-bloc trade and the recovery of the pandemic’s hardest-hit areas.

Source: VNA