BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah will join other Southeast Asian leaders through video conference on April 14 for a special ASEAN summit to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meetings aim to discuss a coordinated ASEAN response to the pandemic, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Monday.
The leaders are also expected to share efforts to address the socio-economic and environmental impact of COVID-19.
ASEAN countries will also hold a video conference with the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea for the ASEAN Plus Three Special Summit.
“Exchanges, coordination and support between ASEAN together with China, Japan and Korea play an important factor in banishing and stopping the spread of COVID-19 that have claimed more than 100,000 lives around the world,” PMO said in a statement.
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will host the meetings as the ASEAN chair this year.
Vietnam announced last month that the ASEAN leaders’ summit would be postponed from April to the end of June due to the COVID-19 crisis.