The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Britain on Wednesday vowed close cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, said a Cambodian foreign ministry's statement.
The statement was released after a virtual meeting between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, on COVID-19 Response.
"The meeting shared concern regarding the continued spread of the COVID-19 and its severe adverse impacts on people livelihoods and socio-economic development around the world," the statement said.
"In this regard, the meeting committed to strengthening close cooperation between ASEAN Member States and the UK in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, adhering to the objectives of efficiency, safety, equal accessibility and affordability," it added.
The meeting welcomed the Britain's announcement to contribute 1 million pounds (1.28 million U.S. dollars) to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund as well as its contribution of 0.5 million pounds (0.64 million dollars) of strategic support to the ASEAN Secretariat to develop and deliver effective policies to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19, the statement said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.