Eleventh Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) begins in India

The two-day gathering of 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers have begun in the Indian capital, New Delhi. The meeting which has been described by the Indian Foreign Ministry as the biggest diplomatic gathering in India is taking place at the in the outskirts of New Delhi in Hotel Oberoi. Inaugurating the conclave, Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari said that ASEM can lead the way amongst the numerous multilateral frameworks that exist today to respond to common challenges at the regional and global levels. "Many of these fora are seeing important success and I see no reason why ASEM cannot assume a leading position amongst these," he said. The vice president expressed need to optimise the potential of the grouping with a sense of greater urgency. "We should endeavour to take it beyond being a forum for political dialogue only, make it reach out to the people of Member States and create wider stake-holding amongst economic partners and civil society. We should invest its outcomes with tangible deliverables," he said. This year the theme of the meeting is: ASEM - Bridge to Partnership for Growth and Development. Informing that it was the first time India was hosting an ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting,Indian foreign ministry said a total of 36 foreign Ministers would participate in ASEM from various Asian and European countries; 12 Deputy Foreign Ministers and two Vice Ministers are also participating. The wo international organisations - the European Commission and the ASEAN Secretariat too would be present on the occasion, ministry added. "All 51 members of the ASEM are being represented at this meeting," the foreign ministry stated ASEM is a forum which is dedicated to bringing Asia and Europe together. It represents about 60 percent of the world's population, 52 percent of the global GDP, and 68 percent of world trade. "ASEM meeting has two Plenaries and a Retreat. The first Plenary will focus on Economic Growth and Sustainable Development - Challenges and Opportunities in Asia and Europe. The second Plenary will focus on Non-Traditional Security Challenges. In addition, on the second day, there will be a free-flowing discussion on regional and international issues of interest to ASEM members," the foreign ministry noted. The next ASEM summit is set to be held in Brussels in autumn 2014. Indian Foreign Ministry said the country would push for a fresh approach that would reorient discussions of ASEM meetings from dialogue towards actual tangible cooperation, thereby taking ASEM to the next level of maturity. India has enlisted some specific areas of cooperation for the meeting, which include renewable energy, water management, skill development, food safety issues, as well as disaster management and mitigation.