The 20th meeting of the ASEAN-EU Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) tookplace in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 17 within the framework ofactivities to mark 40 years of the friendship and cooperation betweenthe European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN).

The two sides noted with satisfaction the progressachieved in ASEAN-EU cooperation and identified priorities forimplementing the new Plan of Action adopted last April. They also agreedoperational steps for advancing their cooperation in crisis responseand disaster preparedness, maritime issues, migration and mobility,science and technology, higher education, human rights and enhancedcapacity on mediation and reconciliation.

The EU looks forward tofurther cooperation with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on HumanRights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Committee on Women and Children (ACWC).

The union reaffirmed its assistance to ASEAN’s efforts in the processof integration and connectivity, in the centrality of the association inthe evolving regional architecture, and for peace, security, stabilityand prosperity in the region.

The same day, a signing ceremony washeld for a contract on the EU’s 3 million EUR grant to help enhance theoperational capacity of the ASE AN Secretariat.

Speaking at thesigning ceremony, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh highly valuedthe two sides’ friendship and cooperation over the past 40 years andapplauded EU’s support for the ASEAN Secretariat in particular and ASEANmember countries in general.

He stressed the achievements made inthe 10 million EUR ASEAN-EU Programme on Regional Integration Support(APRIS) in the 2003-2010 period with the support from the EU, and thestart of the 15 million EUR ASEAN Regional Integration Support from theEU (ARISE) project, in which 3 million EUR is for the ASEANSecretariat.-VNA