Without Intra-ASEAN Solidarity, ASEAN Could Be Subject To Manipulation, Says Vietnamese Ambassador

By V. Sankara KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- Without intra-ASEAN solidarity, ASEAN could be subject to manipulation and divided by larger powers seeking to advance their interests in the region, said Ambassador of Vietnam to Malaysia, Dr Le Quy Quynh. The envoy, who will end his three-year stint as ambassador to Malaysia on Thursday (Oct 8) after assuming office on July 18, 2017, said the need for ASEAN member states to prioritise regional interests must be highlighted in the context of the increasing intense standoff between superpower countries. “Individual states may, due to their respective national interests, be more inclined to lean towards one major power or another. Such behaviour works against ASEAN’s independence,” he told Bernama in an email interview. The Chairmanship of ASEAN for 2020 is held by Vietnam. As he bid adieu to Malaysia, the 61-year-old diplomat said useful measures have been taken by Vietnam to cope with regional challenges, where the country has been containing the global pandemic very well. “And at the ASEAN level, under Vietnam’s chairmanship, all channels of communications among the ASEAN members were activated to share their problems and take appropriate actions,” he said. The diplomat noted that since the global spread of COVID-19, ASEAN Summit and related meetings has been taking place virtually. Quynh said Vietnam also participated in several international virtual meetings and shared its experience and proposed measures to deal with the pandemic. “Vietnam supplied the much-needed medical equipment and protective gears not only in the region but beyond - in Asia, Europe, US, and South America. It emerged as an effective disease control model,” he added. -- BERNAMA