The deputy PM made the comment at the 8th ASEM Foreign Ministerial Meeting (FMM 8) that ended in Hamburg on May 29, pointing to the fact that ASEAN member countries have already lauded Viet Nam as a market economy . In addition, Khiem proposed to host several meetings at ministerial level, such the foreign and education ministerial meetings in 2009, the culture ministerial meeting in 2011; and an energy security policy forum in 2007 and an ASEM tourism forum in 2008.
On the sidelines of the two-day meeting, Deputy PM and FM Pham Gia Khiem had working sessions with his German, Indian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Luxembourg and Czech counterparts, and the European Commissioner for External Relations and senior representative in charge of the European Union’s foreign and security policy.
The FMM 8 attracted foreign ministers from 43 ASEM member countries, the European Commissioner for External Relations and the ASEAN Secretary General.
Participants at the meeting exchanged view on global issues, reviewed ASEM cooperation activities and discussed preparations for the ASEM 7 meeting slated for October 2008 in Beijing, China