11th ASEM summit begins in Ulaanbaatar

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia: The 11th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit began Friday in this Mongolian capital, with leaders from 51 countries gathering in the wake of another stunning terrorist attack in southern France that killed at least 80 people.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is heading Malaysia's delegation at the 11th ASEM which carries the theme '20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity'.
Playing host to the highest-level international event ever held in the country, Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia welcomed the leaders at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Presidents and vice presidents from 11 countries, prime ministers from 23 countries, 16 foreign ministers, as well as the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker along with Secretary-General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh are attending the summit.
Among the prominent leaders at the summit are Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
The summit began with the news that at least 80 people have been killed in southern France after a truck reportedly drove into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day.
The attack is expected to push the leaders to deliberate extensively on counter-terrorism measures as both Asia and Europe have seen a number of terrorist attacks in recent months.
Ahmad Zahid had told Malaysian journalists covering the summit that he would prioritise and share Malaysia's experience in combating terrorism, migration and human trafficking.
The two-day summit will have two plenary sessions under the titles of 'Two decades of partnership: Taking stock and looking forward' and 'Promoting ASEM partnership for greater connectivity'.
Session One will assess the 20-year experience of political dialogue, economic cooperation and socio-cultural exchange between Asia and Europe, while at the second session, discussions will continue on developing both 'hard' and 'soft' connectivity between the two continents.
The ASEM member nations represent 50% of the world's population, and contribute to 60% of global trade. — Bernama