MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2020) Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin emphasized the importance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in combating the spread of COVID-19, as well as handling economic recovery at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.
"Today, as we work together, as the region to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, the relevance of APEC has become even more pronounced. As we pursue regional solutions that help us to strike a delicate balance between our health priorities and economic needs ... As a group whose economies constitute about 60 percent of the global GDP, APEC has assumed a central role in spearheading both pandemic and economic recovery," Yassin said in his opening remarks.
The prime minister called for unity amid the global outbreak, as well as equal access to vaccines and health technologies.
The APEC, which now includes 21 members, was set up in 1989 as an economic forum to promote integration and interdependence within the Asia-Pacific region. The forum is currently chaired by Malaysia.
