Ulaanbaatar
11th ASEM Summit adopts key documents ahead of its third decade
PoliticsUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Representatives of 51 ASEM member countries and member organizations - European Union and ASEAN issued the Ulaanbaatar Declaration and the Chair's Statement, compiling the results of plenary session of 11th ASEM Summit, held here on July 15.
The ASEM Leaders, the Chair - President of Mongolia Mr Ts.Elbegdorj, President of the European Council Mr Donald Tusk, President of the European Commission Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, President of Myanmar Mr U Htin Kyaw and the Prime Minister of Slovakia and EU Coordinator Mr Robert Fico, called a plenary press conference July 16 before the retreat meeting.
The Chair's statement highlights the discussions of Shared Common Goals for Future, issue of Enhancing Connectivity in All Dimensions, Cooperation on Political and Security Issues and Rethinking of Working Methods, on the brink of the third decade of ASEM.
In the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, the ASEM Participants recognized contributions by ASEM made in:
- Fostering greater understanding between Asia and Europe;
- Broadening political dialogue, enhancing economic cooperation and increasing socio-cultural exchanges;
- Deepening Asia-Europe inter-connectedness, shaping and forging links and mutually beneficial, multi-layered cooperation for peace and development;
- Creating opportunities for broader people-to-people connections, including through the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF);
- Addressing the challenges faced by both regions as well as at the inter-regional and global levels; and
- Promoting effective multilateralism and strengthening other multilateral processes.
"Informal political dialogue and cooperative initiatives in economic and socio-cultural fields will continue to be the cornerstone of our partnership", the Declaration reads, while promoting informality, networking and flexibility in overall operations.
To ensure the continuity of initiatives that evolve from informal dialogue to tangible outcomes that will benefit the peoples of Asia and Europe, ASEM will focus on areas of common interest, such as, countering terrorism and violent extremism, maritime safety and security, fighting piracy and armed robbery at sea, as well as human and drug trafficking, cyber security and cyber-crime, security of and in the use of information and communication technologies, and upholding the purpose and principles of the UN Charter.
Enhancing connectivity across diverse domains is an important and commonly shared objective, the Declaration outlines.
