5th ASEM culture forum ends in Indonesia

Delegates ended the three-day fifth biennial Asia Europe Meeting Culture Ministries Meeting (ASEM CMM) here on Wednesday, with commitment to improve cultural understanding between people of the two continents and boost cooperation programs to tap economic potentials of heritage cities. "Today we have concluded the meeting with fruitful result. Four points have been identified to improve contribution of heritage cities to the economy, eventually bring prosperity to people and countries in the two continents," Wiendu Nuryanti, Indonesia's deputy minister of education and culture, told a press conference at the end of the forum themed "Managing Heritage Cities for a Sustainable Future". She said that the four points agreed by the delegates were the reinforcement of government's role in addressing this issue, cooperation among member countries in anticipating disasters affecting the heritage cities, increasing the contribution of heritage cities to the countries' creative industry and improving the cultural understanding between people of the two continents. Wiendu said that the Netherlands was designated as host of the sixth ASEM CMM forum slated for 2014.