Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport Dr Lam Pin Min's Co-Chairing of the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Video Conference on COVID-19, 20 March 2020

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport Dr Lam Pin Min co-chaired the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Video Conference to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic with High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell on 20 March 2020. Health and other relevant officials from other EU and ASEAN Member States also participated.

Minister Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State Lam expressed support for the European Union’s efforts to combat COVID-19 while High Representative Borrell conveyed the EU’s support for ASEAN’s efforts to combat the virus. Both sides exchanged information and best practices on dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak from a public health perspective. They also discussed the possibility of establishing a common criteria for determining when and how to implement temporary travel restrictions in a manner that would minimise the political, economic, and social impact of this global health crisis. Following the conclusion of the video conference, Singapore and the EU adopted the Co-Chairs’ Press Statement on the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Video Conference on COVID-19.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
20 MARCH 2020