Vietnam proposes ASEAN to coordinate in coping with nCoV epidemic

04/02/2020 06:10 PM


On February 4, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a phone conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo about cooperation between ASEAN countries to deal with acute respiratory infections caused by new strains of Corona virus (2019-nCoV).

President Joko Widodo highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government for taking quick and synchronized measures to prevent the spread of disease; believing that under the close guidance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and with proven medical capacity, Vietnam is fully capable of successfully preventing this disease. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his appreciation that Indonesia is one of the countries that has rapidly implemented measures to prevent the disease, so far no cases of nCoV virus infection have been detected.

The two leaders agreed that ASEAN member countries should actively cooperate and coordinate the actions of each country in the spirit of "Cohesion and Active Adaptation", which is the theme of ASEAN this year, aiming to find common solutions and share responsibility for dealing with common regional diseases. ASEAN countries have had valuable experience in coordinating dealing with the SARS in 2003, so it is necessary to continue to promote the active and proactive handling of this nCoV epidemic.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, as Chairman of ASEAN Coordinating Council, sent a letter to ASEAN countries expressing the spirit of coordinating joint action against fluids caused by nCoV. Vietnam has proposed ASEAN to establish a Joint Ministerial Working Group with the participation of agencies on transport, immigration, border control, consular, etc. and will soon organize online meetings for timely sharing information and coordinating actions of ASEAN member countries, showing ASEAN's solidarity.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo fully endorsed and appreciated the proposals of the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The two leaders also agreed to strengthen the coordination not only in ASEAN but also between ASEAN and China, including consular support for citizens of ASEAN countries affected by the epidemic, especially for those who still stuck in the epidemic area.

VSS