This will be the first foreign ministers’ meeting since the membership of Asia-Europe Meeting increased to 45 and it will act as a bridge between the two summits- ASEM 7 and ASEM8 with the implementation of decisions made by ASEAM leaders.

The 9^th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM9) will be held in Hanoi from May 25-26.

After 13 years of cooperation and development, ASEM has demonstrated its strong cooperation through 120 initiatives and its crucial role in the region and the world. Since its establishment in 1996 to date, ASEM membership has increased from 26 to 45.

With its growth, ASEM has proved to be a model of cooperation between the two continents-Asia and Europe-with great potential for cooperation in economics, trade, science and technology and culture.

As one of the 26 ASEM founders, Vietnam has greatly contributed to the Asia-Europe cooperation process, showing its Party and State’s strategic vision.

ASEM has now become a forum for peace, stability and development to further enhance Vietnam’s role in the international arena.

Vietnam’s successful organisation of ASEM 5 in 2004 received praise from the International community, helping the country promote its image as a safe, dynamic country with great economic potential.

Over the past years, Vietnam has effectively used nearly US$13.4 million from the ASEM Trust Fund to carry out 21 projects. In addition, the country has taken many co-initiatives along with other member countries aimed at implementing projects on agriculture, science and technology, transport, health care, culture, education and training and the environment.

Most recently, Vietnam has been elected as Vice Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), an agency in charge of promoting ASEM’s cultural and social cooperation activities.

In preparation for the session on May 24 and the FMM9 on May 25, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Doan Xuan Hung, met with Asian and European senior diplomats.

Under the theme “Forging a closer Asia-Europe partnership to address the economic crisis and other global challenges”, the FMM9 is responsible for accelerating implementation of decisions made during ASEM 7 in Beijing and preparing for ASEM 8, which is scheduled to take place in 2010 in Brussels.
To date, 30 foreign ministers have confirmed their attendance at the meeting, which is expected to attract 500 delegates in total.

VietNamNet/VOV