The Vietnamese Embassy in the Switzerland, as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Bern (ACB), has hosted the fifth meeting of the committee in 2020 to review the working term of Vietnam as the chair of the committee and hand over the role to the Philippine Embassy.

Participants at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The meeting brought together ambassadors and representatives from the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar in Bern and Geneva.

Participants at the meeting discussed a report summarising Vietnam’s activities in the last six months of 2020 when Vietnam played the role as the chair of the committee.

They lauded the efforts, dynamism and creativity of Vietnam in holding many in-person and online meetings and activities, as well as the country’s successes in keeping effective coordinating relations with the Swiss Foreign Ministry and Parliament’s External Relations Committee as well as pharmaceuticals firm Novartis.

They expressed their hope that Vietnam will continue coordinate with the Philippines in realising initiatives and activities of the ACB in the future when the COVID-19 pandemic is totally controlled.

Regarding Vietnam’s recommendations relating to the ACB’s major activities amid the developments of the pandemic, they agreed on the need to work closely together in implementing the joint plan of the committee in the following terms, while concentrating on activities to enhance the image of the ASEAN in Switzerland.

The activities should focus on economic and medical cooperation between the association and local authorised agencies, as well as enhancing the use of digital technology, thus increasing online meetings between the ACB and local partners to raise awareness and promote win-win partnerships as well as mutual understanding between Switzerland and the ASEAN.

Within the meeting’s framework, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan officially handed over the Chairmanship of the ACB to Philippine Ambassador Denis Lepatan.