BANGKOK, Nov 12 (TNA) – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the 37th ASEAN Summit via a teleconference system and pushed for regional cooperation for economic rehabilitation after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnam, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, organized the last ASEAN Summit of this year. In the conference, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had his representative participate on his behalf as he was under 14-day quarantine after meeting the Hungarian foreign and trade minister who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
The ASEAN Summit gathered the leaders and representatives of 10 ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners namely China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, India and Russia. Other participants included the secretary-general of the United Nations, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and the president of the World Bank.
In the summit, Prime Minister Prayut raised topics concerning ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Sub-region and called for cooperation on COVID-19 responses, post-COVID sustainable development and regional trust and partnership.
Gen Prayut emphasized ASEAN’s important roles in promoting mutual interest, expressed support for collective sustainability initiatives and promised Thailand’s cooperation with other ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners on handling COVID-19.
Opening the summit, Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong called for collective efforts to promote peace and ensure good care for people. (TNA)
