Source: Bernama (Malaysia)
Source type: News Agency
Published on: 05 Oct 2010
BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- The 8th Asia- Europe Meeting (Asem) Summit insist that it is necessary to continue the Palestinian-Israeli talks and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing the adopted final draft declaration as saying on Monday. The document is expected to be approved by the summiteers on Tuesday.
The sides involved in the Middle East settlement should confirm their resoluteness to settle disagreements and find necessary means to continue the dialogue, the draft declaration stressed.
It also calls for ensuring free movement of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as well as of commercial goods and services.
ASEM was founded in March 1996. Now the organisation includes 45 members - these are 27 EU countries, the European Commission and 16 Asian states (10 ASEAN members, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan and Mongolia), as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.
Russia, Australia and New Zealand will join in the proceedings for the first time.
This year will be the eighth privileged occasion to give expression to the common views of Asia and Europe. Representing 58 percent of global population, 50 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and over 60 percent of global trade, this gathering will hopefully inspire the world community.
Indeed, a month later, the first G-20 meeting to take place in a non G-8 country will gather in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, to shape the policies that are required in the face of the financial and economic crisis.
A few weeks thereafter, the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Climate Change Convention will meet in Cancun, Mexico, to pursue the efforts started at the Copenhagen Summit of December last year.
The ASEM leaders will address these and other global challenges but they will naturally also focus on the relationship between the two regions.
They will seek to strengthen their political dialogue, enhance their trade and investment relationship, expand people to people and cultural exchanges and further develop ASEM as their common strategic asset.
The agenda is being established collectively, in all transparency and through an inclusive process of consultation involving every ASEM partner.
That process will continue until the very day of the Summit. ASEM 8 is truly the Summit of each European and each Asian partner.
