Chair's statement delivered after 12th ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting

t the end of the meeting, participants issued a Chair’s statement showing strong commitments from attending countries to boost cooperation between the two continents. The statement also addressed concerns over security issues in the East Sea.

The theme at the 12^th ASEM foreign ministers' meeting was “Working together for a sustainable and secure future”. Participants at the event discussed issues related to terrorism, immigration, and marine security, such as developments in North Africa, the Middle East Peace Process, the nuclear programme in North Korea, and tensions in the East Sea.

Many participants have shared concerns over complicated developments in the East Sea. All countries are advised to align their positions with international laws and use peaceful measures for the settlement of any disputes.

In the Chair’s statement, foreign ministers emphasised commitments to ensure marine and air safety and freedom and stressed the need to solve any disputes based on international laws.

ASEM participants also agreed to hold an event commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the dialogues at the 11^th ASEM Summit in Mongolia next year. As one of the 26 co-founders, Vietnam has actively contributed to the organisation’s working groups to address global issues such as climate change, human resource development, HIV prevention and epidemic outbreak control.