December 01, 2017 | 22:09 (GMT+7)
Asia-Europe relations on the table in Da Nang
PANO - The meeting of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)’s 37th Board of Governors (BoG) commenced in the central city of Da Nang on November 30 with the participation of governors from 53 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) members.
The meeting runs until December 2 with 13 main activities, including an opening and closing ceremony, plenary and group sessions, seminars and a banquet. It is expected to adopt a final report and propose recommendations for ASEF activities in the coming year.
This is the second time Vietnam hosted the event. The first one was within the framework of the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi in 2004.
Delegates at the meeting. Photo: dantri.com.vn
On the sidelines of 37th meeting of the 37th Board of Governors (BoG), the host country and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) will organize a workshop on building a vision for a comprehensive Asia-Europe relationship in the 21st century with three main contents; namely: important trends in international and regional contexts, ASEM cooperation-opportunities and challenges, ASEM cooperation on the third and next period. The workshop is expected to attract 100 delegates, consisting of ASEF Governors, ambassadors, representatives of ASEM embassies in Vietnam, international and regional organizations and business associations.
Established in 1997 with the first ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore, the ASEF now has been an important channel for cooperation between the Governments and ASEM members through ASEF's programs and cooperation projects on culture, economics, education, public health, governance and sustainable development.
Vietnam highly appreciated the ASEF's role and contributions to ASEM. Over the past 20 years, Vietnam has successfully utilized ASEF's projects in priority areas such as sustainable development and education and training.
Translated by Lam Anh