Anifah Aman Leads Malaysian Delegation To 18Th AEMM In Madrid

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman will lead the Malaysian delegation to the 18th Asean-European Union (EU) Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Madrid, Spain Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a statement here yesterday, said Anifah would be accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Siti Rubiah Abdul Samad and senior officials from the ministry.

"The ministerial meeting will be preceded by a Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) today," the statement said.

The ministerial meeting with the theme of 'Asean-EU: Partners in Regional Integration' will provide an opportunity for both sides to take stock and assess their efforts in reviewing the Asean-EU Enhanced Partnership.

"As aptly reflected in the ministerial meeting's theme, it is imperative for both sides to undertake immediate, practical and concrete steps to coherently chart their future directions," it said.

This meeting also will mark the 30th anniversary of official cooperation between Asean and EU with the signing of the Asean-European Commission Cooperative Agreement on March 7, 1980.

The statement said, during the ministerial meeting, the Foreign Ministers will exchange views on important issues including East-Asian regional architecture, climate change and the environment, the economic crisis and its aftermath, traditional and non-traditional security challenges along with other global challenges of common concern to Asean and EU.

"At this meeting, Malaysia will lead the discussion on the Middle East Peace Process," it said.

The ministers are expected to adopt the Co-Chair's statement of the 18th AEMM, Indicative List of Activities for the Plan of Action to implement the Nuremberg Declaration on an Asean-EU Enhanced Partnership (2011-2012) and Phnom Penh Agenda for the implementation of the Asean-EU Plan of Action (2009-2010) - Achievements to date.

In the last three decades, the Asean-EU cooperation has grown and expanded remarkably covering a wide range of areas including politics and security, economics and trade, as well as socio-cultural and development cooperation.

The Nuremberg Declaration on an Asean-EU Enhanced Partnership and the Plan of Action to implement this declaration, which was adopted at the Asean-EU Commemorative Summit on Nov 22, 2007, provides the vision and comprehensive roadmap for an enhanced Asean-EU partnership.

During the 17th AEMM at Phnom Penh, Cambodia in May 2009, the Phnom Penh Agenda for the Implementation of the Asean-EU Plan of Action was endorsed, to which it serves as an action programme to deepen and intensify cooperation between Asean and the EU for 2009-2010.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Anifah is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his Asean and EU counterparts