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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week will discuss a range of mutual issues concerning the South China Sea, Myanmar, and COVID-19 pandemic, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday (local time).
Blinken will participate in this week five virtual ministerial meetings related to ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, these are the US-ASEAN, East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Mekong-US Partnership, and Friends of the Mekong ministerial meetings. Speaking at the press briefing, Price said, "During this week's meeting, Blinken will underscore that commitment and reiterate US positions on pressing regional issues, including calling on the Burmese junta to immediately end the violence and restore Burma to the path of democracy; supporting freedom of the seas in the South China Sea; improving resilience and transparency through the Mekong-US partnership." Blinken will urge ASEAN members to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). US Secretary of State will share with ASEAN US plans for additional support in the fight against COVID-19, including through sharing additional vaccine doses. Blinken will also discuss efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including economic recovery efforts, and climate change. "He will also discuss our plans to support ASEAN economic recovery and plans to combat climate change. He looks forward to a fruitful discussion with our ASEAN counterparts, and regional partners this week, and we'll have more details on that, as the week progresses," Price said. (ANI)
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