Vietnam has proposed the need to focus on four major issues at future ASEAN conferences, namely the establishment of the ASEAN Fund on novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Response, developing medical supplies for the region, improving ASEAN Standard Procedures to respond to future urgent public health situations, and formulating the post-COVID-19 ASEAN Recovery Plan.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, Nguyen Quoc Dung

The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) at Deputy Foreign Minister level took place on the morning of May 18 through videoconference with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, Nguyen Quoc Dung in attendance in the role of ASEAN Chair 2020.

During his speech, Deputy Minister Dung gave an update on the implementation of activities relating to the ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN+3 Special Summit on COVID-19 Response which involved the participation of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea on April 14.

With regard to the 36th ASEAN Summit and the meeting schedule which is due to take place by the end of June, Deputy Minister Dung stated that the country has been making thorough preparations for the event and has placed great importance on ensuring the security and safety of all delegations who attend the conference.

The Deputy Minister suggested that members can work alongside the nation to prepare relevant content, the reception, and logistics in order for the summit to be a success. He also requested that ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat note the progress of implementing goals of the ASEAN Year 2020, including those that need to be completed ahead of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which is set to be held in August, in addition to the 37th ASEAN Summit which is scheduled to take place in November.

ASEAN members have noted their great appreciation for Vietnamese leadership in the country’s role as ASEAN Chair since the beginning of the year in the spirit of being “Cohesive and Responsive”, especially praising the nation’s efforts to effectively deal with the threat of the COVID-19. Members voiced their support for accelerating the implementation of the main results as taken up by the ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN + 3 Special Summit on COVID-19 response as first outlined by the country. 

Several ASEAN states also noted their satisfaction with the roadmap for implementing priority results in 2020, pledging to continue working alongside the nation to finalise the priority results according to the agreed roadmap. Various heads of ASEAN delegations also expressed their confidence in the success of the 36th ASEAN Summit under the chair of Vietnam, while also vowing to continue working alongside the host nation to prepare for the event. 

Following the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting, the 32nd ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Forum is to be held under the co-chair of Malaysia and Australia.