Remarks by President Charles Michel at the press conference after the ASEM13 summit

Source: European Council i, published on Friday, November 26 2021.

We have just concluded our two-day ASEM Summit. It was an excellent opportunity to bring together more than 50 partners from Europe and Asia to discuss our cooperation. We are highly interconnected, with many shared interests and solid ties.

Three years since the last ASEM Summit, we see persisting challenges, such as climate change and security. But also new ones — COVID-19.

One thing is clear. We want to tackle these global challenges successfully. And we must continue working together and taking action together.

This year’s Summit was one of the most important multilateral meetings of 2021. We discussed how to boost the post-pandemic socio-economic recovery, ensure a green transformation and reinforce cooperation on foreign and security policies.

We have many common challenges, but we also have many common objectives, protecting the health of our citizens, ensuring their well-being and rebuilding our economies in a sustainable way.

The Indo-Pacific region is increasingly important for the EU. We are already a top investor in this region, and we are also a top development cooperation and trading partner in this region. We have decided to reinforce our strategic focus and actions with the region, and our new EU Strategy for Cooperation with the Indo-Pacific sends a strong signal.

We want to work closer together on green, digital, connectivity, and security issues. And the rules-based international order remains a strategic priority. We are engaging with our partners in Asia to foster an open and fair environment for trade and investment. We want to contribute to regional stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development.

I would like to thank all our partners, all our friends, for their productive, frank and inspiring contributions. And a special thanks to you, dear Prime Minister of Cambodia, for ensuring such a successful Summit.

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