The online opening ceremony saw the participation of leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries, Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman and Chair of 41st General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, NA Permanent Vice Chairwoman and head of the delegation to AIPA Tong Thi Phong, and Deputy PM, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee Pham Binh Minh.

 

Ambassadors of the ASEAN member nations, and representatives from foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations in Hanoi also attended the event.

 

In his opening remarks, PM Phuc highlighted the theme of the Summit in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which is hitting the region and the world.

 

He applauded the spirit of solidarity and coordination among the countries, and prompt actions they are taking in the fight against the disease.

 

The PM called for stronger cooperation among the ASEAN member nations to effectively cope with the pandemic, affirming that Vietnam will continue to closely work with the other ASEAN member nations in the combat.

 

He said ASEAN leaders will discuss measures to address the social and economic impact caused the COVID-19 crisis, post-pandemic recovery plans for the regional countries in the immediate time, and orientations to accomplish cooperation and integration goals of ASEAN in the year.

 

PM Phuc  thanked leaders of the ASEAN member nations and the bloc’s partner countries for their coordination with and support for Vietnam in joint efforts to respond to the pandemic, especially strong commitments at the Special ASEAN Summit and the Special ASEAN 3 Summit on COVID-19 in April.

 

He expressed his hope that the 36th ASEAN Summit will be an opportunity for the regional countries to affirm their solidarity, strong political will and high determination to overcome all the challenges.

 

The Vietnamese leader said he looks forward to the adoption of a Vision Statement on ASEAN's cohesion and proactive adaptation at the summit./.