PM Phuc's welcome remarks at Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19

Dear ASEAN colleagues,

 

(I bid you all) a very warm welcome to the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, I am pleased to see you join us for the first time at an ASEAN Summit. (Welcome to our ASEAN Family.)

 

Our Meeting bears great significance, given the global reach of the dangerous COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts upon the socio-economic life of all countries. All ASEAN member states are making every effort to combat the pandemic, its repercussions on our peoples’ livelihood and industries – particularly the service sector, which accounts for 30% of ASEAN’s GDP – and the challenge it poses to our social stability and welfare. 

 

It is in these grim hours that the solidarity of the ASEAN Community shines like a beacon in the dark. The spirit of mutual support and compassion and our concerted actions to overcome adversity are vividly captured in the Chairman’s Statement on ASEAN Collective Response to the Outbreak of COVID-19 (issued on 14 February 2020). Cooperation in healthcare, defense, economic affairs and tourism has grown, assistance in the provision of essential commodities and medical supplies have been given, and aid has been provided to fellow ASEAN citizens in need. 

 

Our efforts to contain the pandemic have produced encouraging results. The pandemic is largely under control with just over 15,000 confirmed cases out of a population of 650 million. This figure reflects a much lower rate of infection compared to the global average. This initial success has given us confidence. Yet lest we fall into complacency, it is all the more necessary to stand united and act with greater resolve in a “Cohesive and Responsive” spirit. 

 

I look forward to the concrete measures put forward today to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19, restore stability to our peoples’ lives, and promote sustainable growth./.