Kingdom calls for access to affordable Covid-19 vaccine
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn told ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday that all countries need to have unhindered and timely access to quality, safe, and affordable medicines and vaccines as global common goods.
He made his comment at the Special ASEAN-Russia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting via video conference on Covid-19.
Sokhonn, who is also deputy prime minister, said to combat future threats such as pandemics, multilateralism is indispensable as countries need a more coordinated and collective response based on scientific data and evidence.
“All countries need to have unhindered and timely access to qualit y, safe, and affordable medicines and vaccines as global common goods,” a Ministr y of Foreign Affairs press release quoted him say ing.
Sokhonn said all sides should continue to draw more support from regional partners to effectively implement the Manila Plan of Action to advance the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative (2018-2022) which prioritised cooperation on global health issues and pandemic diseases.
“As the incoming country coordinator for ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations (2021-2024), Cambodia will exert its utmost effort to nurture dialogue for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity for all,” Sokhonn said.
The press release said ASEAN and Russia had urged the international community to put aside political differences and act collectively in a spirit of responsibility, solidarity and cooperation to support each other in this difficult time.
“We foster people-centred policies in a ll ef forts to respond to pandemics, ensuring that people are prov ided with healt hcare, treatment and consular assista nce,” according to a joint statement released follow ing the ASEANRussia Foreign Minister’s Meeting.
Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia told The Post on
Thursday that all countries affected by Covid-19 had the common purpose to develop an affordable vaccine and medical treatments to ensure that economically weak countries can use them.
“I believe that what Sok honn said is in the common interest of a ll countries affected by Covid-19 because i f they produce a vaccine and it is expensive, it will be beyond t he af fordabilit y of poor countries,” he said.
He said the World Health Organisation also wants a vaccine to be produced soon at an affordable price for all countries.