ASEAN, EU seek to strengthen connectivity
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