H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to attend the Special ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on COVID-19 via video conference on Thursday, 23 April 2020.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR, in his capacity as current Country Coordinator for ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue Relations, will co-chair the meeting with H.E. Michael Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States of America.

 

This Special ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be an affirmation of their joint commitment to enhance concrete cooperation between ASEAN and the U.S. in the area of public health emergencies in order to respond to COVID-19 in a timely manner.  Both sides will focus on exchanging information and best practices in a timely and transparent manner, enhancing capacity to respond to public health emergency situations by utilising ASEAN-led public health mechanisms, extending assistance to nationals of ASEAN Member States, and the U.S., sustaining the regional supply chain, particularly the flow of essential goods and services such as food, medicines and medical equipment, exploring cooperation to mitigate the social and economic impacts and discussing the plan for economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 period. 

 

The U.S. is a key Strategic Partner who has comprehensive cooperation with ASEAN, including in public health. This Meeting will be a crucial opportunity to advance collaboration between both sides to address the current crisis which has had severe impacts on the people’s well-being and on the economy and security both in ASEAN and the U.S. At the conclusion of the Meeting, the Lao PDR and the U.S., in their capacities as Co-Chairs, will issue a Co-Chairs’ Statement to reflect the firm commitment of both sides to collectively address the COVID-19 situation, including concrete initiatives and cooperation between the two sides, in order to enhance capacity in public health and prepare for future public health emergencies.