ASEM 9 promotes peace, partnership and prosperity

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in Vientiane, Laos on November 4 to attend the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM-9) at the invitation of his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thamavong.

He is accompanied by Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Vu Duc Dam, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Cam Tu, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Ta Minh Chau.

The Vietnamese delegation will participate in the meetings’ activities with a high sense of responsibility to make practical contributions to promoting Asia-Europe cooperation.

On the theme of “Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity”, the meeting will focus on the current economic and financial situation, global challenges, regional issues and cooperation between ASEM countries.

ASEM was established 16 years ago with the aim of building a new partnership between Asia and Europe to ensure growth, create deeper understanding between people of the two continents and set up dialogues between countries as equal partners. 

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and PM Nguyen Tan Dung at their recent meeting in Hanoi.

With the active participation of its members, ASEM has played an important role in shaping a world of peace, friendship and development. It now represents around 60 percent of the world's population and accounts for 55 percent of the global GDP.

ASEM has held eight summit meetings that have attracted 48 members and the ASEM9 marks a fourth expansion with the admission of three new members, Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland, that will bring the total number of ASEM members to 51.

At this summit, ASEM country leaders, and representatives from the European Commission and the ASEAN Secretariat, will analyze and discuss strategic solutions to deal with emerging issues related to economics, finance, global challenges, culture, society and ASEM's future development.

Vietnam, with a population of nearly 90 million, a strategic position in Southeast Asia and a proactive member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), considers developing diplomatic, economic, trade and investment relations with ASEM countries to be very important.

To date, Vietnam has proposed 16 initiatives and co-sponsored 13 others within the ASEM framework, and relations between Vietnam and the EU have flourished and grown considerably over the years.

The EU is one of Vietnam’s leading partners in numerous fields, especially economics, trade and investment. Two-way trade between the two sides reached US$24 billion in 2011.

Vietnam and the EU have signed the framework for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and are currently negotiating to sign a Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as soon as possible.

The attendance of PM Dung and his delegation at the summit demonstrates that Vietnam is willing to take an active role as a responsible ASEM member and contribute opinions and share common interests, promote the recovery of the worldwide economy, cope with global challenges, and maintain peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in both Europe and Asia.