High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini attends ASEAN Regional Forum
The High Representative/Vice-President, Federica Mogherini, represented the European Union at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila today. The EU, she stressed, has a strong stake in Asia's security and is willing to strengthen the EU's engagement in the region, including maritime security cooperation, countering violent extremism and counter terrorism.
Mogherini also had a number of bilateral meetings in the margins of the Forum. In the morning, Mogherini and the Foreign Minister of Australia, Julie Bishop, signed the EU-Australia Framework Agreement.
High Representative Mogherini also met with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, with whom she discussed the positive trend in bilateral relations and foreign policy priorities, including the situation in Myanmar, in particular concerning the Rohingya and the Middle East Peace Process.
Mogherini then had a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Thailand, Don Pramudwinai, and together the two reflected on further development of the EU-Thailand bilateral relationship.
The High Representative met with Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam. The HR/VP emphasised that the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement would put the bilateral relations on a more strategic footing. She requested Vietnam to be more attentive to the treatment of human rights defenders.
In her meeting with the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan, Mogherini reiterated EU’s commitment to continue working closely together during Singapore's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2018 and advancing the bilateral agenda.
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