The upcoming 36th ASEAN Summit, chaired by Vietnam on June 26, will be important and significant for the bloc, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic and regional security issues, an Indonesian scholar has said.

Director of the ASEAN Studies Programme at Indonesia’s Habibie Centre Ahmad
Ibrahim Almutaqqi (R) gives an interview to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent
in Jakarta (Photo: VNA) 

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Director of the ASEAN Studies Programme at Indonesia’s Habibie Centre Ahmad Ibrahim Almutaqqi said the summit offers the chance for ASEAN and its member states to show their importance in the development of the Indo-Pacific region.

The summit will discuss not only measures to deal with COVID-19 but also those for post-pandemic economic recovery. It will also be an opportunity for ASEAN leaders to call on involved parties to ease tensions in Asia and focus on more pressing issues such as COVID-19.

The Indonesian scholar said he appreciates the role Vietnam plays as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, as despite the impact of the pandemic it has carried out its tasks in an effort to ensure the proper functioning of ASEAN in this difficult year and in organising high-level meetings.

Over the next six months, he went on, ASEAN members should seek measures to reopen their economies in a safe manner, prevent a new wave of the disease from spreading, and address the consequences of the pandemic to create solid foundations for 2021.