Foreign Ministers from Asia and Europe meet on 5-6 November in Luxembourg

EU News 303/2015

30/10/2015

The 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting will take place on 5-6 November under the theme "Working Together for a Sustainable and Secure Future". It will be chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy /Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini and hosted by the Government of Luxembourg.

Foreign Ministers from 30 European[1] and 21 Asian countries[2] as well as the Secretary General of ASEAN are expected to participate in the two-day meeting. It will be an important occasion to confirm the region to region dialogue and cooperation in the context of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The 51 ASEM partner countries represent about 60% of the world's GDP, population and global trade.

The Foreign Ministers' Meeting will prepare ASEM's 20^th anniversary to be celebrated at the 11^th ASEM Summit in Mongolia in July 2016. A few weeks before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, ASEM is expected to build consensus towards an ambitious, global and legally binding agreement under the UNFCCC. Disaster management and the future of ASEM, along with international and regional issues will also feature high on the agenda. Ministers will discuss various ways to enhance connectivity between Europe and Asia across a range of sectors. The meeting also serves as a prime opportunity to come together on issues that require a global response such as migration and the fight against terrorism and extremism. At the end of the meeting, a Chair's Statement will be issued. A large number of bilateral meetings are expected to take place in the margins of the Ministerial Meeting.

For HRVP Mogherini this will be an occasion to reconfirm her commitment to Asia, as shown by her many visits to the region during her first year in office (Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia). In addition to chairing the Ministerial meeting, Ms Mogherini will have a number of bilateral encounters with Asian Foreign Ministers. She will also address a Young Leaders' Summit gathering 120 young leaders from the 51 ASEM partner countries.

Three side-events will be organised in Luxembourg by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF): the ASEF Young Leaders' Summit under the theme “Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment” on 1-5 November; a photo exhibition on Asia and Europe entitled "On the Go" to be inaugurated on 4 November and an ASEF journalists' colloquium, focusing on crisis reporting, on 4-6 November.

Source and additional information:
http://eeas.europa.eu/statements-eeas/2015/151030_04.htm

ASEM: Asia-Europe Meeting URL

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