PREPARATORY WORK FOR ASEM 5 SUMMIT MEETING
The fifth Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM 5) will be held in Ha Noi from 8-9 October 2004. This is a political event of great significance of the two continents’ partnership as well as of Viet Nam in its proactive international integration.
To prepare for the ASEM 5 Summit Meeting, on 1 April 2003, Vietnam Prime Minister decided to establish the National Committee for preparations and organization of the fifth Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (known as National Committee for ASEM 5), chaired by H.E. Mr. Vu Khoan, Deputy Prime Minister. H.E. Mr.Nguyen Dy Nien, Minister of Foreign Affairs is appointed as Vice-Chairman. Under the National Committee are five Sub-Committees on substance, protocol affairs, logistic matters, security, and culture and communication with the participation of 14 Ministries and agencies concerned. The permanent agency of the National Committee is the ASEM 5 Secretariat under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At present preparatory work is underway.
The ASEM 5 Meeting takes place when ASEM is about to enter its nearly one decade of existence and the two continents of Asia and Europe have been witnessing numerous important events and developments that create many opportunities and challenges to the ASEM cooperation.
Under the theme, “Further Revitalising and Substantiating the Asia-Europe Partnership), Viet Nam and other ASEM members wish to make the fifth Asia-Europe Summit Meeting an important milestone to further consolidate and promote the equal partnership between the two continents in all dimensions, bringing Asia-Europe cooperation to a new height.
At the moment, the National Committee has finalized its structure and convened three meetings. The sub-committees and ASEM 5 Secretariat have been actively carrying out preparatory work for the Summit from substance matters, Meeting’s documents, supporting sideline activities to the Summit organization especially the protocol affairs, logistics, security, medical matters and so on.
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