Surin to visit Brussels and Berlin

INDONESIA: ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Bagas Hapsoro will start a working visit to Brussels and Berlin from April 19-23, 2010.

Both are leaving under the joint invitation of the European Commission and the Federal Republic of Germany, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN.

In a press release made available to The Jakarta Post, ASEAN Secretriat said the visit reflected ASEAN's commitment and desire to promote closer ASEAN-EU cooperation and is part of efforts to implement the Plan of Action to Implement the Nuremberg Declaration on an Enhanced ASEAN-EU Partnership for the period 2007-2012.

The visit follows an initial suggestion proposed by former European Commissioner for External Relations, Ferrero-Waldner, for the CPR and the Secretary-General of ASEAN to meet and interact with their European Union (EU) counterparts in Brussels. - JP