Vietnam calls for early completion of ASEAN travel corridor arrangement framework

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung suggested ASEAN soon finalise a travel corridor arrangement framework while addressing the ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) on June 17.

The event took place via videoconference under the chair of Brunei, which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2021.

Participants in the meeting recognised the progress in the ASEAN Community building over the last six months despite the complex COVID-19 situation in the region.

They affirmed their countries’ support for Brunei to promote the initiatives and priorities for the ASEAN Year 2021.

In particular, they agreed on the roadmap for building the ASEAN Community’s post-2025 vision and on the establishment of a high-level drafting group this year.

The meeting also concurred in building an ASEAN master plan on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and accelerating the Strategic and Holistic Initiative to Link ASEAN Responses to Emergencies and Disasters (ASEAN SHIELD).

Officials agreed to step up the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines via UNICEF and the COVAX Facility to supply for the member countries, asking ASEAN to promptly use 10.5 million USD from its COVID-19 response fund to purchase vaccines.

Stressing the importance of sustainable recovery, the countries highlighted the need for the entire bloc’s engagement in implementing the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, and for supporting enterprises, vulnerable groups, and remote areas in the region.

At the meeting, they welcomed and approved Vietnam’s initiative to organise an ASEAN forum on sub-regional cooperation in the third quarter of this year that will focus on narrowing the development gap among sub-regions for comprehensive recovery and sustainable development.

They also highly valued the outcomes of the regional conference on the implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration for 2021 – 2025, held on May 19 under the chair of Vietnam.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister Dung held that in the current context, ASEAN should prioritise recovering and promoting connectivity, by effectively implementing the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and soon finalising an ASEAN travel corridor arrangement framework to facilitate travel within the bloc.

He also pointed out the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on the region, including the widened development gap among sub-regions in ASEAN.

The official called on member countries to assist remote areas, including the Mekong sub-region, to recover from the pandemic and keep up with the common development pace in the grouping./.