The 11th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM) will take place in New Delhi, India, from November 11-12. The theme for this year’s Meeting is ‘ASEM: Bridge to Partnership for Growth and Development,’ and foreign ministers of 51 countries from Asia and Europe will be in attendance.
ASEM was established in 1996, with an aim to build and encourage inter-continental dialogue, and India joined the grouping in 2007. At present, the ASEM member countries represent approximately 60% of the world’s population, 68% of international trade and 52% of the global Gross Domestic Product. The ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in addition to pursuing the ASEM dialogue under the first and third pillars (political dialogue, co-operation in other areas), is responsible for the overall coordination of the ASEM process.