Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended the opening session of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) taking place at the European Commission Building in Brussels on Thursday.

At the round-table meeting, Vice President Kalla sat next to the heads of Indian and Irish delegations. Kalla not only shook hands with his Indian and Irish counterparts but he also made small talk with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to the vice presidential spokesman, Husain Abdullah, Kalla thanked Prime Minister Abe for the humanitarian assistance that Japan had offered to those affected by the recent earthquake that rocked certain parts of Central Sulawesi Province.

During the summit highlighting the theme of "Europe and Asia: Global Partners for Global Challenges," the participating leaders of 51 Asian and European countries sought to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the two continents on a wide range of areas.

Among the areas that they focused on were trade and investment, connectivity, sustainable development and climate, as well as security challenges, such as terrorism, non-proliferation, cyber-security, and irregular migration.

This 12th ASEM was also held along with the 9th Republic of Korea-EU bilateral summit. Vice President Kalla held two bilateral meetings with the EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans and President of Greece Alexis Tsipras.

In connection with the 9th Republic of Korea-EU bilateral summit, the 12th ASEM`s official website revealed that the bilateral meeting offered crucial opportunities for Europe and Asia to work together to rebuild global marine resources.

Increasing transparency on fishing activity is a vital step to safeguard our oceans to protect the rights of legitimate fishers and communities that rely on them for nutrition and livelihoods, it revealed.

Held on October 18-19, 2018, the 12th ASEM Summit, or ASEM12, brought together the heads of state or government of 51 European and Asian countries.

Chaired by European Council President Donald Tusk, the meeting was also attended by representatives of the European Union, including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, as well as the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Reporting by M Arief Iskandar
Editing by Rahmad Nasution, Yoseph Hariyadi

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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