Vietnam PM and ASEAN leaders discuss Myanmar situation

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to meet a number of top leaders of ASEAN member states during his ongoing first overseas trip to the ASEAN headquarters in Indonesia on April 23-24.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on his first trip to the ASEAN headquarters in Indonesia. Photo: Tuoi Tre

He attends the ASEAN Summit, which is arranged to discuss Myanmar situation.

As scheduled, Chinh worked with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on April 23. He will meet Brunei Darussalam’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and Lao PM Phankham Viphavanh.

During the two-day trip, Chinh will talk with Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen and Lao PM Phankham Viphavanh in a tri-lateral meeting.

After being sworn in early April 2021, Chinh has affirmed that the tightened cooperation with ASEAN and the bloc solidarity are part of Vietnam’s priorities, promoting ASEAN Centrality in addressing emerging challenges to maintain peaceful and favorable environment for the regional development.

Vietnam prime minister arrived Indonesia on April 23. Photo: Nhat Bac/VGP

Regarding Vietnam’s role in ASEAN, Try Ananto Wicaksono at Gadjah Mada University said Vietnam is one of the politically stable countries in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam’s economic and political stability is a great advantage compared to other Asian nations. Political stability is one of the main factors that has helped Vietnam pursue its economic development policy.

Wicaksono emphasized that Vietnam, the 2020 Chair of ASEAN, has been involved in the building of the organization since it joined in 1995. Vietnam has projected itself as an effective leader, particularly with its proactive governance in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, critical and long-standing engagement with climate change issues, and political stability.

Low levels of transmission and fatalities have attracted the due attention of the international community, he noted.