Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Wednesday to boost an exchange of experience in infectious disease prevention and maintain such communication on a regular basis, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after online talks with his counterparts
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2020) Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Wednesday to boost an exchange of experience in infectious disease prevention and maintain such communication on a regular basis, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after online talks with his counterparts.
"Russia continues to assist ASEAN in strengthening its human resources capacity in the health sector and is ready to share best practices in prevention and response to infectious diseases," Lavrov said at a press conference.
Russian public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, the minister recalled, has initiated a three-year cycle of educational programs for ASEAN specialists on combating infectious diseases.
The first courses as part of this cycle were held in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok in December, when the coronavirus pandemic only started emerging.
"Our desire to expand contacts between experts and epidemiologists, including in an online format, was also positively received," Lavrov added.
The ministers, in particular, agreed on "concrete steps to make such communication regular."
The Russian diplomat expressed hope that such experience exchange will become a real contribution to improving the epidemiological security in Southeast Asia, which also annually receives millions of Russian tourists.
