Minister Bettel Emphasises Frank & Constructive Dialogue for EU, Indo-Pacific Partners

Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, participated in the EU-Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum as well as the EU-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Ministerial Meeting, which were held on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 February 2024 in Brussels.

After the Paris editions in February 2022 and in Stockholm in May 2023, this third Forum, in the presence of 38 countries from the Indo-Pacific and three regional organisations, aimed to consolidate the partnership between the EU and the Indo-Pacific, two regions highly interconnected and interdependent. The partners also reaffirmed their determination to support the rules-based international order, the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as to promote security and stability in a free and open Indo-Pacific, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade confirmed.

Participating in a roundtable entitled “Shared Prosperity, Economic Resilience and Investments”, Minister Bettel highlighted three priorities for EU and Indo-Pacific partners: frank and constructive dialogue, mutual respect and respect for international law, as well as the need to find common solutions to global challenges.

Subsequently, Minister Bettel participated in the 24th EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting, an opportunity to address the strategic partnership between the EU and ASEAN countries, as well as the commitment of the two organisations to an international order based on rules, for effective and sustainable multilateralism, and free and fair trade, in a context marked by increasing instabilities at the global level. The implementation of the “Global Gateway” initiative in the ASEAN region was also discussed.

“The EU and ASEAN are the two most advanced and successful regional projects in the world, both advocating multilateralism. Our bilateral relations have seen significant progress in recent decades. Looking to the future, Luxembourg will attach particular importance to our collaboration in the areas of trade and investment, climate change and green transition, as well as connectivity,” said Minister Bettel.

On the sidelines of these two meetings, Minister Bettel had several bilateral meetings. He met with the Secretary-General of ASEAN and his counterparts from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysia, the ministry added. These meetings allowed an exchange of views on the latest international developments and issues of common interest.