AEPF speakers weigh lessons of past 20 years

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The 11th Asia-Europe People’s Forum started its work today in Ulaanbaatar. At the State Palace, speaker from India Anuradha Chenoy, UK’s Andy Ruthford and Germany’s Sebastian Bersick have delivered their speeches with insights to the lessons from the AEPF’s past 20 years. The AEPF Executive Director Evelyn Belais-Serrano along with other keynote speakers highlighted that the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) has dramatically expanded its scope from an institution which had 26 members to a multilateral platform of 30 European and 21 Asian nations. However, the increased number of members has not justified itself in effectiveness. The Forum has been failing to make decisive resolutions towards the focal points, especially, in politics, economy and security. The necessity in effective approaches still remains, concluded the participants.