ASEM culture ministers: ASEM to play active role in cultural exchanges

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 04, 2003

ASEM culture ministers: ASEM to play active role in cultural exchanges

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The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will promote cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe and enhance the understanding and friendship between their peoples, said Asian and European culture ministers here Wednesday.

Portuguese Culture Minister Pedro Manuel da Cruz Roseta said at the ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilizations that ASEM ties the two continents together and the meeting serves as a good occasion for countries to explore cultural diversity and broaden their horizons.

The topic of protecting cultural heritage through the ASEM mechanism has also aroused wide attention from attendees.

Lee Chang-dong, minister of culture and tourism from the Republic of Korea, urged experienced nations to help others in this area and suggested building a website for countries to exchange experience.

Aurea Rolden, director-general of the department of cooperationand cultural communication of Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, proposed that the ASEM members lay down a special framework for cultural cooperation and make stipulations for protection of cultural diversity.

"Then we will not take our own culture as a defense against other cultures and thus impair the peace and our common development," Rolden said.

Pham Quang Nghi, Vietnam's minister of culture and information,said cultural cooperation is also a pillar in Asia-Europe cooperation. ASEM members have taken many concrete actions in protecting cultural heritage.

British Ambassador to China Christopher Owen Hum said the ASEM framework is conducive for protection and exchanges of the existing cultures, and all countries should assure the smooth cultural exchanges and make culture become the source of social communication.

He hoped ASEM members continue to push forward the comprehensive cooperative partnership between Asia and Europe through cultural dialogue and cooperation.

Some 200 representatives from 26 ASEM members are attending thetwo-day event, the largest culture ministerial meeting ever held in China.

ASEM culture ministers call for cultural diversity to curb terrorism

The culture ministers attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) here called on ASEM members to increase dialogue among diverse cultures and civilizations in a bid to wipe out misunderstanding and conflicts, thus to prevent terrorism and exclusiveness.

At the ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilizations, which opened here Wednesday, ministers and officials from 26 ASEM members warned of the increasingly grave threats to non-traditional security, such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the Bali bombings in October last year.

They claimed that the radical reaction to the globalization in some countries led to aggravated violence and terrorism against the background of unbalanced economic development and cultural misunderstanding.

Cultural diversity based on mutual understanding and mutual respect should be considered a shield against terrorism, they said.

Due to insufficient understanding of each other's ideas and thoughts, culture is playing a more complex role in society than political, economic and scientific factors, said Rais Yatim, Malaysian minister from the prime minister's department.

Gunter Mulack, German ambassador of the federal foreign office,said that the world's cultures are moving toward unity in parallelwith information technology, which in turn has led to cultural disputes.

The dialogues should be conducted to achieve understanding and tolerance and curb terrorism, racism and exclusiveness, said Mulack.

Terrorism is increasing in Singapore, a multi-national and multi-racial country, said Lee Boon Yang, Singaporean minister forinformation, communications and arts.

The ASEM countries should remove cultural conflicts and differences, and create more channels for mutual understanding among peoples, said Lee.

Portuguese Minister for Culture Pedro Roseta said any intentionto cover up cultural diversity is doomed to failure. The people should understand each other's differences, learn to respect and appreciate what they may have no idea, which would be helpful in curbing terrorism, said Roseta.

Only when people volunteer to conduct cultural exchanges on an equal footing, would the world peace and development be ultimatelyachieved, said L Gde Ardika, Indonesian state minister for cultureand tourism.

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