Thailand hosts ASEM High-Level Finance Officials’ Meeting

BANGKOK, October 15 (TNA) - Thailand hosts the Asia-Europe (ASEM) High-Level Finance Officials’ Meeting to boost cooperation between Asian and European nations on trade and investment and on the rehabilitation of economic crisis-hit Europe. High-level representatives from 43 countries and international organizations, including the European Commission, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Central Bank, participate in the 10th ASEM High-Level Finance Officials’ Meeting, being held in Bangkok from October 14-15, also aimed to discuss the outlook of economies and finance of Asia, Europe and the world. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong inaugurated the meeting Monday, saying that Asia and Europe have maintained long-standing economic, trade and investment relations, witnessed by the value of mutual trade and tourism reaching nearly one trillion US dollars last year. Kittirat acknowledged Europe, through the ASEM forum, helped Thailand through the 1997 regional economic crisis; therefore, he hoped that Asia could help support the recovering European economy at the moment through increase in mutual investment and trade. (TNA)