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RI acknowledges the importance of Asia-Europe cooperation: Envoy
The Foreign Ministryâs director general for America and Europe, Dian Triansyah Djani, said Indonesia acknowledged the importance of the Asia-Europe cooperation for tackling current global challenges, including development challenges and achieving common prosperity
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he Foreign Ministry's director general for America and Europe, Dian Triansyah Djani, said Indonesia acknowledged the importance of the Asia-Europe cooperation for tackling current global challenges, including development challenges and achieving common prosperity.
He said the partnership between the two regions was crucial in promoting the post-2015 development agenda, which needed to focus on reducing poverty, improving human development and following up the Bali Package as agreed upon during the ninth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting in Bali.
'It is also important to strengthen commitments on protecting migrant workers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preventing infectious diseases, especially Ebola, and in handling the crisis in the Middle East and putting forward the Asia-Europe Meeting's (ASEM) bi-regional partnership to increase connectivity between Asia and Europe,' Triansyah said Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency.
Indonesia highlighted the importance of Asia-Europe connectivity during the 10th ASEM entitled 'Responsible Partnership for Sustainable Growth and Security' in Milan, Italy, on Oct. 16-17. Forty-one heads of state from Asian and European countries attended the meeting.
European Council President Herman van Rompuy led the meeting, which was hosted by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Two new partners, Croatia and Kazakhstan, joined the meeting for the first time.
During the meeting, van Rompuy pointed out that Asia and Europe needed to strengthen dialogue and partnership, especially relating to conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine. According to Nindarsari Utomo, a counselor at the Indonesian Embassy in London, the international community had begun to feel the impact from the conflicts.
Van Rompuy said Europe was still facing a lot of challenges resulting from the financial crisis it faced. Europe continues to struggle against low economic growth and high unemployment.
ASEM is a dialogue and partnership forum between Asia and Europe, which was established in 1996. ASEM comprises 53 partners from Asia and Europe, including two regional institutions ' the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Union.
Asia and Europe represent around 50 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), 60 percent of the global population and 60 percent of international trade.
The 11th ASEAM is set to take place in Mongolia in 2016. (ebf)
