ID :
180171
Thu, 05/05/2011 - 13:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/180171
The shortlink copeid
ASEAN AND EU CAN WORK TOGETHER, INDONESIAN PRESIDENT SAYS
By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA, May 5 (Bernama) -- Asean and the European Union (EU) can work
together to manage the world economy in partnership especially on issues of
common concern in the group of 20 industrial and developing nations (G20) and
the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono said Thursday.
He said both Asean and the EU shared the same view regarding the importance
of concluding the Doha negotiations to ensure confidence in the multilateral
trading system and the high cost of lack of progress.
"There is no doubt that Asean and the EU are important to each other. The EU
is the second largest trading partner for Asean and the largest investor, while
Asean is the EU's fifth largest trading partner.
"There is also increasing people-to-people engagement such as the forum we
are attending today. There are some seven million Europeans visiting Asean every
year," he said when addressing the First Asean-EU Business Summit here, ahead
of the 18th Asean Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Indonesia is the current chair of Asean.
Yudhoyono said he believed that it was timely for Asean and the EU to
increase their engagament, including the discussions towards a more formal
economic integration agreement between the two economies.
The EU, he said, could be a strong partner with Asean to develop together,
and Asean itself would continue to learn from Europe as it had a much longer
experience in economic integration and community building.
On the realisation of the Asean economic community, Yudhoyono said much had
been gained since the vision was agreed by Asean leaders in 2003, for example
size of the Asean economies had grown to US$2.9 trillion in 2009 from US$700
billion in 2003.
"If we include Asean and the six partners which it already has trade
agreements -- China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand -- then the
size amounts to US$15 trillion or the same economic size as the EU and the US,"
he said.
The business summit was aimed at enhancing business-to-business dialogue and
to raise awareness about business and investment oppoortunities in Asean and
the EU.
JAKARTA, May 5 (Bernama) -- Asean and the European Union (EU) can work
together to manage the world economy in partnership especially on issues of
common concern in the group of 20 industrial and developing nations (G20) and
the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono said Thursday.
He said both Asean and the EU shared the same view regarding the importance
of concluding the Doha negotiations to ensure confidence in the multilateral
trading system and the high cost of lack of progress.
"There is no doubt that Asean and the EU are important to each other. The EU
is the second largest trading partner for Asean and the largest investor, while
Asean is the EU's fifth largest trading partner.
"There is also increasing people-to-people engagement such as the forum we
are attending today. There are some seven million Europeans visiting Asean every
year," he said when addressing the First Asean-EU Business Summit here, ahead
of the 18th Asean Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Indonesia is the current chair of Asean.
Yudhoyono said he believed that it was timely for Asean and the EU to
increase their engagament, including the discussions towards a more formal
economic integration agreement between the two economies.
The EU, he said, could be a strong partner with Asean to develop together,
and Asean itself would continue to learn from Europe as it had a much longer
experience in economic integration and community building.
On the realisation of the Asean economic community, Yudhoyono said much had
been gained since the vision was agreed by Asean leaders in 2003, for example
size of the Asean economies had grown to US$2.9 trillion in 2009 from US$700
billion in 2003.
"If we include Asean and the six partners which it already has trade
agreements -- China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand -- then the
size amounts to US$15 trillion or the same economic size as the EU and the US,"
he said.
The business summit was aimed at enhancing business-to-business dialogue and
to raise awareness about business and investment oppoortunities in Asean and
the EU.
