Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh on Oct 27 attended the 24th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 1st ASEAN-Australia Summit, the 24th ASEAN+Three (China, Japan and R.Korea), and the 16th East Asia Summit (EAS) via a video conference.
The 24th ASEAN-Japan Summit highly valued the cooperation between ASEAN and Japan with ASEAN leaders expressing gratitude to the contribution of Japan to the building of ASEAN Community, especially its assistance for human resource development and the implementation of the Master plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the 4th Initiative for ASEAN Integration as well as Japan’s provision of US$1 million to ASEAN Fund to support Covid-response efforts in the region, and US$50 million for the establishment of ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases, as well as medical equipment and Covid-19 vaccines to ASEAN member countries.
Japan reaffirmed its commitment to continue to assist ASEAN in combating Covid-19 pandemic and Post –Covid-19 economic recovery, strengthen cooperation on promoting economic integration in the region, digitalization, human resource development and innovation.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh highly valued the bilateral cooperation between Laos and Japan, and expressed gratitude to the government and people of Japan for their contribution to basic infrastructure development and socio-economic development in the Lao PDR.
Prime Minister Phankham expressed satisfaction with the ASEAN-Australia cooperation over the past years with Australia providing assistance to ASEAN in various fields including education, regional integration, ASEAN Connectivity, narrowing of development gap and Covid-19 fight.
The ASEAN leaders commended the Australian government’s decision to provide AU$1 million to ASEAN Fund to support Covid-19 response in the region, AS$1 million to support ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and AU$21 million to support the establishment of ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases.
The ASEAN and Australian leaders expressed their commitment to continue their cooperation in priority areas of health, Covid-19 response, regional economic integration promotion through digitalisation, education, ASEAN connectivity, implementation of the 4th Initiative for ASEAN Integration (2021-2025), sustainable development and ASEAN Smart City Network Development.
The leaders also agreed in principle to upgrade ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership to ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Partnership.
The 24th ASEAN Plus Three Summit (ASEAN+China, Japan and R.Korea), ASEAN and Plus Three leaders highly valued the results of cooperation between ASEAN and Plus Three countries amid Covid-19 pandemic.
They expressed satisfaction with their cooperation on Covid-19 prevention and response as well as on the mitigation of economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
They agreed to enhance cooperation under ASEAN+Three framework through implementing plans of action (2018-2022), and continue to cooperate on comprehensive economic recovery through protecting production and transport chains, transition to digital economy, connectivity, ASEAN Smart City Network, food security, financial cooperation, green development, poverty reduction, and through accelerating the ratification of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
The 16th East Asia Summit (EAS)
Leaders reviewed the implementation of activities in priorities areas – finance, environment and energy, education, health, and communicable disease, disaster management and connectivity.
The leaders made their commitment to continue their cooperation on Covid-19 prevention, response and control and make greater efforts in creating favourable conditions for post-Covid-19 socio-economic recovery and sustainable development in the region through promoting multilateral cooperation, strengthening regional economic integration, transition to digital economy, connectivity, travel and tourism recovery, trade, investment and multilateral free trade.
The meeting adopted three documents including: EAS Leaders’ Statement on Mental Health Cooperation, EAS Leaders’ Statement on Economic Growth through Tourism Recovery, and EAS Leaders’ Statement on Green Recovery.
Source: Lao News Agency