The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Asia-Europe Foundation organize a civil society symposium of Asia and Europe

Press release 339/2006
4 September, 2006

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Asia-Europe Foundation ASEF organize a symposium entitled Asem@10: Connecting Civil Societies of Asia and Europe in conjunction with the Asem6 Summit on 7 – 9 September. The purpose of the event is to enhance dialogue between civil society, business and government in Asia and Europe, taking into consideration the ways in which the various actors could improve co-operation, particularly with regard to sustainable development and energy issues, and in intercultural encounters. The symposium will be arranged on Thursday, 7 September, in the auditorium of the main building of the Parliament, and on Friday, 8 September in the auditorium of the Pikkuparlamentti office building.

The participants of the symposium represent both the corporate world, civic associations, the academic sphere, research institutes, and governments in Europe and Asia.The event culminates in the closing session on the afternoon of 8 September, chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja.The speakers of the closing session are President Martti Ahtisaari and Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ki-moon Ban.The closing session is exclusively for invited guests and registered members of the press.The event closes with a reception held by the Parliament.

Additional information: Irene Leino, Project Assistant, Asem6 Secretariat, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 400 435 918