Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: The 11th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM11, Summit) began in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Friday under the theme ‘20 years of ASEM: Partnership for e Future through Connectivity’.

The Summit officially commenced at Shangri-La Hotel in presence of high-level delegation from 51 ASEM partners — 30 European and 21 Asian countries and two intergovernmental organizations.

Presidents and vice presidents from 11 countries, prime ministers from 23 countries including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 16 foreign ministers as well as the presidents of European Council and European Commission and secretary general of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are taking part in the two-day Summit, which is the highest-level international event Mongolia has ever hosted.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived Mongolia yesterday, joined the inaugural ceremony. President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj received the Bangladesh Premier on her arrival at the Summit venue.

President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj officially opened the Summit, saying ‘the people and state of Mongolia have been placing a paramount importance on the ASEM Summit, which is currently on the global spotlight.

‘The summit marks 20th anniversary of ASEM and coincides with the historic 810th anniversary celebration of Mongolian State, he said, adding due to this reason his country has placed special significance on hosting the Summit.

President of European Council Donald Tusk, President of Myanmar Htin Kyaw, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully also spoke at the opening session. The opening ceremony was followed by a session on four ASEM forums held in Mongolia leading up to ASEM11 — the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), the Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF), the Asia-Europe Business Forum (AEBF) and the Model ASEM.

The Summit will have two plenary sessions titled ‘Two decades of partnership: taking stock and looking forward’ and ‘Promoting ASEM partnership for greater connectivity’.

According to official sources, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the second plenary on partnership for greater connectivity.

The first session will assess the 20-year experience of political dialogue, economic cooperation and socio-cultural exchange between Asia and Europe and discussions will be held on developing both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ connectivity between the two continents in the second session, the sources said.

The delegates of the Summit will have an opportunity to experience Mongolian ‘Nomadic Naadam’ festival marking the 810th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Mongol Empire.

Tomorrow, a retreat session under the title of ‘Enhancing the three pillars of ASEM’ will take place. The session will look into both regional and international issues including counterterrorism and migration.

The Summit will end tomorrow with the Chair’s Statement followed by ‘Ulaanbaatar Declaration’ on the Future of ASEM.

In parallel to the Summit, various bilateral meetings are taking place.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation bringing together the 28 European Union member states, two other European countries, and the European Union with 21 Asian countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The ASEM dialogue addresses political, economic and cultural issues, with the objective of strengthening the relationship between the two regions, in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership.