Nay Pyi Taw (VNA) –The 13th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FMM13) opened in Myanmar’s capital cityof Nay Pyi Taw on November 20 in preparation for the 12th ASEMSummit slated for October 2018 in Brussels, Belgium.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh is one ofthe four delegation heads invited to deliver a speech at the event’s firstsession under the heading of “Synergizing peace and sustainable development.”

Themed “Strengthening partnership for peace and sustainable development,” thetwo-day meeting includes three sessions, during which the ministers willdiscuss measures to enhance cooperation in areas of shared concern, as well aspartnerships in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs), combatingclimate change, mitigating and managing natural disasters, ensuring food,energy and water resource security, and narrowing development gap.

They will also seek ways to make the ASEM partnership more dynamic andconnected in such realms as people-to-people exchange, transport, tourism,culture, education, trade and investment, along with comparing notes on otherregional and international issues.

Since 1996, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) has become an important dialoguemechanism between the two continents, bringing together 53 members, includingfour permanent members of the UN Security Council and 12 members of the groupof the world’s 20 largest developing and emerging markets (G20). ASEM makes up68 percent of population and contributes about 55 percent of the GDP and nearly60 percent of trade globally.

As one of the founding members of ASEM, Vietnam has actively participated inthe Asia-Europe cooperation, with the most noteworthy being the country’s hostingof the fifth ASEM Summit in 2004 and other ASEM ministerial meetings.

Vietnam has proposed 22 initiativesitself and coordinated with other members to raise 26 initiatives, which allhave been materialized. Such initiatives mainly focus on culture, health care,transport, food and energy security, climate change, science-technology,tourism, economy, green growth and social welfare.

The country has participated in five out of 16 cooperation groups of waterresource management, climate change response and vocational training, educationand human resource development, and technological connectivity.

At the end of the event, the ministers are scheduled to adopt a Chair’sStatement of the ASEMFMM13, an action programme for 2017-2019 and newinitiatives, including Vietnam’s initiative on the ASEM conference on jointactions in response to climate change to realise SDGs.-VNA