Senior officials from ASEAN and the European Union (EU) have gathered in Brussels to review integration and connectivity between the two regions.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh attended the event.
Participants at the workshop on the prospect for EU-ASEAN future cooperation on October 15 discussed measures to beef up ties between the two regional groupings.
Addressing the event, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh emphasised the ASEAN Vision to 2015 that includes building of the ASEAN Community and the expansion of external relations.
The workshop also dealt with economic disparity between the EU and ASEAN, how to optimise economic opportunities for both blocs and the ASEAN-EU ties towards to the ASEM summit scheduled for next October in Milan, Italy.
At the ASEAN-EU foreign ministers’ meeting in July in Brunei, the two sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, regional connectivity, fight against cyber and transnational crimes and anti-terrorism efforts.
The two sides have been conducting discussions and negotiations with a hope of finalising the ASEAN-EU free trade agreement.-VNA
