KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — The world needs a new approach in dealing with Covid-19 following the emergence of new variants that have led to an increase in cases around the world, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Through a post on his official Facebook page, he said the matter was conveyed during the Special Asean-Russia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which was held virtually on Tuesday afternoon.

"Asean-Russia has focused a lot on joint ventures to deal with Covid19 since a year ago,” he said.

In the context of regional issues, Hishammuddin stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic increased the competition of the world’s major powers, and diminished the system of multilateralism.

"In this regard, Asean must remain the core of Asia Pacific while Russia must continue to support it for peace and stability in the region,” he said.

The special meeting was co-chaired by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. — Bernama