The Working Dinner Session of the FMM 9 on “Regional and International Developments” was held on the 25 May 2009 evening.

The Ministers agreed that political dialogue is an important cooperation pillar in ASEM which needs to be continuously enhanced to promote mutual understanding and trust, in order to actively support the other cooperation pillars in ASEM. The Session shared the view that peace, cooperation and development remain the major trend, however, risks towards regional tension and conflict still exist. In this context, the Session had an open and strait forward dialogue in the respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference, and for peaceful and negotiated settlement of conflicts. The Session exchanged view on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern such as Afghanistan, the Balkan peninsular, the Korean peninsular, integration of East European countries into the EU, Myanmar, the Middle East, etc.

The Session welcomed the first dialogue at the ministerial level between EU Troika and Myanmar in Ha Noi, as a positive step towards strengthening the mutual understanding between the parties./.