ASEF at the 12th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Luxembourg

The Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Ambassador ZHANG Yan, participated in the 12^th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FMM12) on 5–6 November and the preceding ASEM Senior Officials’ Meeting (ASEM SOM) on 2-4 November in Luxembourg.

At the ASEM SOM, Ambassador Zhang presented to the ASEM members the 3 ASEF projects taking place on the margins of the ASEM FMM12, namely the 1^st ASEF Young Leaders’ Summit 2015, the 10^th ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium, and the ASEF Photo Exhibition “On the Go”. He also contributed to the meetings of the Working Group on Press and Public Awareness Management Strategy and the Working Group on the 20^th Anniversary Celebration of ASEM, sharing ASEF’s practices and proposals.

In their Chair’s Statement, the ASEM Foreign Ministers highlighted the crucial role played by ASEF in bringing together the civil societies of Asia and Europe, which contributes to the enhancement of the people-to-people connectivity between the two regions. They also commended the work of ASEF in complementing the government-led ASEM process with its projects in a number of key areas, including culture, economy, education, governance, public health and sustainable development, as well as the specific ASEF-organised side events of ASEM FMM12.