ASEM 6

“The ASEM countries account for 40 percent of the world’s population and 60 percent of the world trade, thus the ASEM community has a considerable role in the global context”, told Ambassador Hanna Lehtinen, Head of the ASEM 6 Secretariat, in a press conference on 2 September in Lappeenranta, Finland. “The first ASEM-related events will start already on Monday, 4 September, and continue throughout next week”, Lehtinen said.

The concrete results of the ASEM 6 Summit should include a declaration on climate change and a Helsinki declaration on the future of ASEM. “As the ASEM process celebrates its tenth anniversary, it provides an excellent milestone for the planning of future activities. The ASEM leaders are also to make a decision on enlargement, which would be a truly significant step”, Lehtinen said.

“The European ASEM members want Romania and Bulgaria to join the process as soon as they have become EU Member States”, Lehtinen said. In principle, Lehtinen sees that new European and Asian partners would contribute to the dynamism and sustainability of the whole ASEM process.

Since Myanmar joined the ASEM process in the Hanoi Summit in 2004, and became one of the 39 ASEM partners, it will also participate in the ASEM 6 in Helsinki. “Myanmar’s participation has been a difficult question between Asia and Europe. However, we Europeans think that discussions should continue also with Myanmar. ASEM offers a unique discussion forum for European and Asian countries enabling them to address issues that are of sensitive and difficult nature, too”, Lehtinen said.