EU Forges Closer Ties of Cooperation With ASEANThe European Union (EU) will seek ways to boost ties and cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), to be held here next week, EU authorities said on Saturday.The Thai News Agency (TNA) quoted French Ambassador to Thailand Christian Prettre and Charge d'affaires of the European Commission in Bangkok Thierry Rommel as saying that EU saw it a good opportunity to hold talks with ASEAN Foreign Ministers at the ARF to discuss ways to boost bilateral ties and cooperation, particularly in the trade area and in strategies to solve regional problems. Officials of the EU and ASEAN have discussed cooperative issues, and the 15-nation powerful trade bloc has signed bilateral agreements with almost all ASEAN member states under its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), said the report. The EU was scheduled to endorse cooperative agreements with Laos and Cambodia on July 26, it added. |
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