SINGAPORE, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) agree to strengthen their cooperation so as to benefit their people, according to the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting held here on Friday.
Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, co-chaired the meeting.
Don said the ASEAN-EU partnership has been advanced from dialogue relationship to global partnership that shares strategic goals. Their widened cooperation will be even more important as the two regions seek to promote regionalism and multilateralism.
"We hope the upcoming EU-ASEAN meeting in Brussels this October will maintain the momentum and reinforce our cooperation for benefit of our peoples," he added.
Mogherini, for her part, said EU and ASEAN are very distant geographically, but they couldn't be closer when it comes to their approach to international affairs, as they stand on the same side of cooperative solutions based on international rules and internationalism, free and fair trade, and peace and security.
She said the EU and ASEAN will have stronger cooperation in international trade.
"If our two regions join forces, we could set a new standard for global trade with more growth and more protection for our citizens, our goods and our environment, because this is what our relationship is all about -- making a positive difference to our people's daily lives," she added.
Meanwhile, Mogherini said the air transport agreement that EU and ASEAN are negotiating will create jobs, lower prices, and raise security standards, and she hopes this agreement will be initiated by the end of this year.