Right in the opening day of the 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM 9) on Monday, Ministers of Asian and European member-countries had a session on strengthening cooperation to address the global financial and economic crisis and attended the working dinner on regional and international developments.
Speaking at the Session as guest speaker, Mr. Akira Ariyoshi, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Regional office for Asia and the Pacific, evaluated impacts of the crisis on regional economies and suggested solutions to overcome the crisis.
The Session shared the need for closer cooperation in ASEM to response to multi-facet impacts of the crisis, towards the full implementation of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nation.
The Session agreed on various solutions to promote the international efforts toward an open and equitable multilateral system of trade and finance.
The Session also committed to strengthen economic cooperation in ASEM to implement the declarations approved by ASEM Leaders such as the Hanoi Declaration on Closer ASEM Economic Partnership in 2004, the Beijing Statement on the International Financial Situation in 2008, agreed on the early resumption of the ASEM Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EMM) and the ASEM Finance Ministers’ Meeting in 2010.
Promotion of political dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and trust
In the working dinner session on the same day, the Ministers agreed that political dialogue is an important cooperation pillar in ASEM which needs to be continuously enhanced to promote mutual understanding and trust, in order to actively support the other cooperation pillars in ASEM.
Sharing the view that peace, cooperation and development remain the major trend, however, risks towards regional tension and conflict still exist, the FMs had an open and strait forward dialogue in the respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference, and for peaceful and negotiated settlement of conflicts.
They exchanged view on a number of regional and international issues of common concern and welcomed the first dialogue at the ministerial level between EU Troika and Myanmar in Hanoi, as a positive step towards strengthening the mutual understanding between the parties.