ASEAN, Canada enhance cooperation

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has underlined the importance of the ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations and highlighted ASEAN as a key economic, political and security partner for Canada.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has underlined the importance ofthe ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations and highlighted ASEAN as a keyeconomic, political and security partner for Canada.

During hismeeting with ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh in Jakarta on August5, Baird reiterated Canada’s commitment to further strengthen itscomprehensive engagement with ASEAN, particularly on important issuessuch as regional peace and security, human rights cooperation, trade andinvestment, energy, technology and innovation, connectivity, disastermanagement, education, and people-to-people contacts.

Hereaffirmed Canada’s strong support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN’scentral role in regional mechanisms for peace, security and stability inAsia-Pacific.

For his part, ASEAN Secretary General Minh,welcomed Minister Baird on his first visit to the ASEAN Secretariat inJakarta and expressed appreciation to Canada for its various initiativesto deepen its engagement with the group.

He stressed that thegenerous support and assistance by Canada, one of the long-standingDialogue Partners of ASEAN, have substantially complemented ASEAN’sefforts to achieve the ASEAN Community by 2015.

In thisconnection, Secretary-General Minh looked forward to Canada’s continuedcooperation to strengthen the ASEAN-Canada relations and support ASEAN’sregional integration beyond 2015.

At the meeting, hostand guest exchanged views on other regional issues of mutual interestand concern, including the East Sea and non-traditional security issuesfacing the region. Both sides committed to intensify efforts to jointlyaddress these emerging challenges.
Another highlight of thevisit is Canada’s announcement to open the Mission of Canada to ASEAN inJakarta within the next year.

Minister Baird extended his invitation to Secretary-General Minh for an official visit to Canada later this year.

MinisterBaird was in Jakarta as part of his Asian tour prior to attending theASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) with Canada and the ASEANRegional Forum (ARF), to be held later this week in Nay Pyi Taw,Myanmar.-VNA

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