*16th ministerial meeting Wednesday
A number of delegations participating in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) being held in Doha have stressed the importance of the current session in enhancing co-operation among member countries to meet the current challenges facing Asia.
Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Ali Sulaiman al-Saeed stressed the importance of the meeting, saying that it was an important occasion to realise what has been lost during the past period and to solve some of the problems in the ACD process.
He noted the efforts exerted by Qatar during the past period to support the success of the ACD, stressing his confidence in Qatar leading this dialogue during its current presidency. "Qatar is carrying out important activities in support of the Asian dialogue, and it is not surprising that Qatar has undertaken these effective diplomatic initiatives to support the process of cooperation among Asian countries," he said.
The Kuwaiti minister said the meeting will discuss the Doha Declaration, which will be issued Wednesday at the end of the ministerial meeting, adding that the declaration would reflect the needs of the ACD countries.
He called for a roadmap to select a new Secretary-General of ACD in August. A meeting is to be held in Thailand next July to discuss the mechanism of the selection.
The head of economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Oman Yahya Abdullah al-Arimi said the conference serves as a platform for dialogue among Asian countries to enhance and deepen co-operation in six different areas that have been approved in advance.
He added that the Secretariat was working to achieve these goals, and "we expect that the Doha meeting will produce tangible results that serve the countries and peoples of the region".
He pointed out that the agenda of the current meeting includes many important topics, adding the next summit of the ACD will further enhance co-operation, in addition to activating the key pillars of dialogue agreed upon by the ministerial meeting.
The Director General for Economic Affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting of senior officials prior to the 16th ACD ministerial meeting was very productive, giving great hope to further co-operation in Asia. "We will see what can be done in the future, especially as Turkey will assume the chair of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue at the next session."
He expressed confidence that the current session, chaired by Qatar, will be unique and successful.
The meeting of senior officials of ACD member states began Tuesday in Doha to finalise the agenda for the 16th ministerial meeting to be held Wednesday under the chairmanship of Qatar.
Speaking at the opening session, HE the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi said these meetings are aimed at continuing co-operation and deepening ties to promote the objectives of the ACD, stressing that Qatar would work to ensure that the current session would encourage the process of joint action by member states.
The meeting discussed the topics on the agenda of the ministerial meeting, as well as a number of topics related to support for joint action among member states.
Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Ali Sulaiman al-Saeed stressed the importance of the meeting, saying that it was an important occasion to realise what has been lost during the past period and to solve some of the problems in the ACD process.
He noted the efforts exerted by Qatar during the past period to support the success of the ACD, stressing his confidence in Qatar leading this dialogue during its current presidency. "Qatar is carrying out important activities in support of the Asian dialogue, and it is not surprising that Qatar has undertaken these effective diplomatic initiatives to support the process of cooperation among Asian countries," he said.
The Kuwaiti minister said the meeting will discuss the Doha Declaration, which will be issued Wednesday at the end of the ministerial meeting, adding that the declaration would reflect the needs of the ACD countries.
He called for a roadmap to select a new Secretary-General of ACD in August. A meeting is to be held in Thailand next July to discuss the mechanism of the selection.
The head of economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Oman Yahya Abdullah al-Arimi said the conference serves as a platform for dialogue among Asian countries to enhance and deepen co-operation in six different areas that have been approved in advance.
He added that the Secretariat was working to achieve these goals, and "we expect that the Doha meeting will produce tangible results that serve the countries and peoples of the region".
He pointed out that the agenda of the current meeting includes many important topics, adding the next summit of the ACD will further enhance co-operation, in addition to activating the key pillars of dialogue agreed upon by the ministerial meeting.
The Director General for Economic Affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting of senior officials prior to the 16th ACD ministerial meeting was very productive, giving great hope to further co-operation in Asia. "We will see what can be done in the future, especially as Turkey will assume the chair of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue at the next session."
He expressed confidence that the current session, chaired by Qatar, will be unique and successful.
The meeting of senior officials of ACD member states began Tuesday in Doha to finalise the agenda for the 16th ministerial meeting to be held Wednesday under the chairmanship of Qatar.
Speaking at the opening session, HE the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi said these meetings are aimed at continuing co-operation and deepening ties to promote the objectives of the ACD, stressing that Qatar would work to ensure that the current session would encourage the process of joint action by member states.
The meeting discussed the topics on the agenda of the ministerial meeting, as well as a number of topics related to support for joint action among member states.