President Jokowi Joints ASEAN Special Summit for COVID-19 Issue

Bogor, MINA – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) joined the ASEAN Special Summit for Covid-19 issue virtually from Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java on Tuesday.

On that occasion, President Jokowi encouraged ASEAN countries to unite, synergize, and collaborate to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have no choice but to win against this virus. Unity, synergy, and collaboration are the answer, “the President said in his statement.

The COVID-19 Pandemic, according to the President, has become a common enemy that is hitting the world economy. Likewise, the economy of ASEAN Region is predicted to grow by only one percent this year. Therefore, the President expressed his four views regarding the handling of Covid-19.

“First, we must break the chain of the spread of the virus in each of our countries, and in the ASEAN region. In addition, we must also decide on the risk of spreading the virus across the border, “said the President.

For this reason, President Jokowi proposed to ASEAN that it could develop a protocol to respond to a pandemic at the border through a joint contract tracing and outbreak investigation. Because with close supervision at the border, it will break the chain of distribution in the region.

“Secondly, we must prevent traffic barriers to goods. When we limit the movement of people, the movement of goods must not be obstructed, especially for staples, medicines, and medical devices, “said the President.

The President stressed ASEAN must have joint arrangements related to trade traffic during the pandemic. Of course, it can be a reference to avoid weakening the regional economy.

The third thing conveyed by the President is related to the cooperation of the protection of ASEAN citizens. According to the President, we must have a commitment to protect ASEAN citizens, including migrant workers.

“We need to show that the ASEAN family functions in the midst of this crisis so that our people feel the benefits of ASEAN directly. I also appreciate the cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia and Singapore in protecting migrant workers, “the President said.

The last thing the President said was related to collaboration and cooperation with ASEAN partners, including ASEAN Plus Three, namely ASEAN cooperation with Japan, Korea, and China. The President welcomed the creation of the ASEAN Covid-19 Response Fund to deal with emergency situations.

“We must encourage partner countries, especially ASEAN Plus Three countries to contribute. We must focus our cooperation on strengthening the mechanism of cooperation, among others, with the Chiang Mai Initiative and other mechanisms, “the President said. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)