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ASEAN, US agree to share information, experience in combating COVID-19

VGP – The ASEAN-US High-level Interagency Video Conference on Public Health Emergencies took place on April 1.

April 01, 2020 4:00 PM GMT+7

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung co-chairs the ASEAN-US High-level Interagency Video Conference on Public Health Emergencies, April 1, 2020 - Photo: MOFA.

The event was co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of Viet Nam's ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) and Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell. 

Participants in the event included representatives from the US Department of State, Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, US Agency for International Development (USAID), and National Security Council.

The particiants updated information about the situations and measures taken by the relevant countries to control and prevent COVID-19, pledging to further strengthen coordination to effectively cope with the pandemic to protect safety and health of their citizens. 

Both ASEAN and the US agreed to move on with information and experience sharing, technical support, exchanges of research outcomes in containing the pandemic. 

The sides unanimously  agreed to maintain exchanges and close cooperation between their relevant agencies at both high and working-level in the coming time. 

US Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell spoke highly of ASEAN’s efforts and outcomes in combating COVID-19. 

Meanwhile, ASEAN welcomed the US active support for ASEAN member countries in response to the pandemic, including its US$19 million aid the the bloc and its plan to build a Disease Control Center in the region. 

Both sides consented to continue measures to ensure safety for their citizens who have been affected by the pandemic. 

Stilwell expressed thanks to ASEAN nations for having created favorable conditions for American citizens to return from pandemic regions, affirming to support ASEAN citizens living, studying and working in his country. 

ASEAN and the US asserted to boost measures to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on socio-economic development, maintain open market, stabilize trade, service and investment as well as guarantee supplies of necessary items, especially medical equipment./.

By Thuy Dung