During a recent media interview, the Laotian diplomat said despite formidable challenges caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the country has successfully organised the 37th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, therefore fulfilling all of the set targets in its role as ASEAN Chair.

A record number of 80 documents were also adopted and announced during the course of the summits, which serves as a vivid illustration for the nation’s organizational ability, he said.

The minister also described the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement as one of the most significant outcomes of the summits, during which the country made huge contributions to its organisation, consultation, and co-ordination, alongside other signatories.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly spreading across the globe, ASEAN has done a great job in terms of disease prevention and control, largely thanks to Vietnamese leadership, he said. Indeed, Minister Kommasith  highlighted several ASEAN initiatives, such as the establishment of the ASEAN COVID-19 response fund, the ASEAN regional reserve of medical supplies, and the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergences and Emerging Diseases.

The Laotian diplomat also applauded the country’s role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), stating that the nation put forward a wide range of ASEAN issues during the UN and UNSC’s discussions, an action that helped the international community to better understand the bloc’s role.

Minister Kommasith also used the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their granting of 1,000 tonnes of rice as part of a relief aid package to flood-hit people in Savannakhet province. Although they are suffering great losses from natural disasters, the move serves as a manifestation of the true friendship between both sides, he emphasised.