LITHUANIAN SUGGESTION TO ORGANIZE A MEETING OF ASEM TRANSPORT MINISTERS IN LITHUANIA IN 2009 WAS SUPPORTED IN HAMBURG
On 28-29 May at ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hamburg, Germany Lithuanian suggestion to organize a meeting of ASEM Transport Ministers in Lithuania in 2009 was supported.
This Lithuanian initiative was presented to European and Asian Foreign Ministers by Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas.
This is the first Lithuanian initiative in the ASEM dialogue, which Lithuania joined in October, 2004. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Gia Khiem made a statement supporting Lithuania and voiced the decision to support the organization of the event.
For Lithuania this event shall provide a good opportunity to present Lithuania’s as a transit country’s possibilities seeking to develop the cooperation between Lithuania and Asian countries in the area of transport, attracting to Lithuania the flow of Asian transit cargo directed towards the European and CIS markets.
During the meeting ASEM Foreign Ministers also discussed important international issues: situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Middle East conflict regulation perspectives, problem of Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, energy and climate change, and fight against terrorism.
Speaking about Afghanistan, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Aso announced that Japan decided to increase its assistance to Afghanistan, supporting the activities of Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ghor Province.
ASEM is a dialogue, which unites all the EU Member States and 17 Asian countries. The counties participating in the process initiate the implementation of certain European and Asian cooperation projects in political, economic, social and culture areas.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs P.Vaitiekūnas separately met with the newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and thanked China for the decision to support Lithuanian initiative of holding an ASEM Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Vilnius. Ministers discussed future cooperation in organization of the meeting.
During the meeting with Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Aso, Minister P.Vaitiekūnas discussed perspectives for economic cooperation between the countries. The Head of Lithuanian diplomacy also thanked Japan for the support to Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ghor Province of Afghanistan.
On 29 May Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with Lithuanian community in Hamburg.
