Phnom Penh (FN), Feb. 23 – Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn led a delegation to attend the Special Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council; the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Covid-19); and the 5th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held on 19-20 February 2020 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to continue standing firmly with the government and people of China in the fight against Covid-19 and, in collaboration with ASEAN, further enhance coordination and cooperation with China to prevent, contain and eventually eliminate this epidemic, according to a press release issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 February 2020.
The ACC Special Meeting, chaired by His Excellency Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam as the ASEAN Chair, was convened to coordinate ASEAN’s collective response and joint efforts to address challenges deriving from the outbreak of COVID-19.
ASEAN Foreign Ministers emphasized the importance of ASEAN to stay strongly united and highly responsive in order to effectively deal with Covid-19 and stressed the resolve of ASEAN Member States to prevent the impacts of the disease from affecting the ASEAN Community building process as well as the normal functioning of ASEAN.
Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and China took note with satisfaction of the ASEAN-China traditional solidarity and mutual assistance, and their joint emergency responses in times of difficulty, particularly current decisive measures to contain COVID-19 and to protect regional and global public health security.
The Ministers also discussed ways to broaden and deepen the collaboration and coordinated measures between ASEAN and China, inter alia:
1. Stepping up cooperation against COVID-19 by sharing information and best practices in a timely manner;
2. Promoting policy dialogue, exchanges of medical research, and the sharing of the latest developments of COVID-19, including its control and treatment; and
3. Working together to enhance capacity to prevent and control emerging and re-emerging infectious and communicable diseases such as COVID-19.
Cambodian Minister Prak Sokhonn took this opportunity to brief the Special Meeting of Cambodia’s strict actions against Covid-19, particularly the Kingdom’s handling of the Westerdam cruise ship that has been done with all precautious measures in accordance with all relevant regulations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and with close cooperation and collaboration with international health institutions, such as WHO, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed full confidence in the government and people of China to overcome the epidemic and, in return, His Excellency Wang Yi extended his appreciation to ASEAN Member States for sympathy, support and assistance.
=FRESH NEWS
