Brussels, 24/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Under the aegis of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, ministers from the EU and ASEAN bloc agreed - at their 20th ministerial meeting in Brussels on 23 July - to establish a roadmap towards a strategic partnership between the EU and ASEAN.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen cooperation in order to improve the connectivity between the two regions and to support the implementation of the master plan on ASEAN connectivity. In addition, they agreed to strengthen cooperation on maritime safety and security - especially on information sharing and capacity building.
The EU is committed to more than doubling its financial support for ASEAN Community-building, bringing its support to €170 million for the 2014-2020 period. Overall EU aid to South East Asia, including bilateral aid, will increase from €2.2 billion to nearly €3 billion for the 2014-2020 period.
As regards the economy, the ministers welcomed the progress in the ongoing free-trade negotiations between the EU and certain economies from the South-East Asian bloc, and they reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation between the two regions - including the resumption of the bloc-to-bloc free-trade negotiations.
On regional security issues, the two parties expressed concern at the tension in the South China Sea. Ashton stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, and she stressed the need to ensure the freedom and security of navigation and air flights in this maritime region.
In a separate statement, the EU and ASEAN ministers condemned the destruction of the Malaysian Airlines civil plane shot down in East Ukraine and the tragic loss of 298 lives at the end of last week. They called for a full investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice. (EH)