The 8th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers (May 28-29) admitted six new members and reiterated the need to cooperate in energy security and climate change and to combat terrorism while reaching agreement on disarmament and arms proliferation.
It also recommended that the WTO end the current Doha round of negotiations in the interests of developing countries.
The foreign ministers agreed to set 2009 a deadline for completing negotiations on a new international climate change pact to limit greenhouse gas, officials said.
At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem discussed multilateralization and the role of the United Nations (UN), saying that while the international situation was complicated, multilateral talks via the UN and other similar organizations constituted an effective measure to address common issues.