Prime Minister Stubb's ASEM address

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb is participating in the ASEM Summit of Heads of State or Government from Asia and Europe being held in Milan, Italy, on 16–17 October. The Finnish prime minister was one of the keynote speakers at the first plenary session on economy along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President François Hollande and the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

In his address, Prime Minister Stubb stressed the importance of world trade to both Europe and Asia. “The world is global, yet many issues are being viewed from a narrow, local perspective. For world trade, it is of utmost importance that the deadlock in the WTO talks is broken.”

Prime Minister Stubb went on to draw attention to the significance of connectivity between Europe and Asia, singling out Arctic cooperation as of one of the key issues. He also called for joint problem-solving capabilities in respect of climate and energy issues. “In these efforts, we will need new clean technologies - Cleantech.” Our economies cannot perform in the long term if we do not have access to clean electricity, clean fuels and clean water”.

On Thursday Prime Minister Stubb had one-on-one meetings with the prime ministers of Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. On Friday he will meet the prime minister of China and the President of Myanmar, among others.

The Friday programme of the ASEM Summit also includes a retreat of the heads of state to address international and regional issues as well as a joint meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight, or NB8 countries, with Japan.

ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) is a forum for cooperation between Asia and Europe, which seeks to promote dialogue and mutual understanding between the two continents. Some fifty countries from Europe and Asia are taking part in the meeting. The theme of the 10th ASEM Summit in Milan is 'Responsible Partnership for Sustainable Growth and Security'. The meeting will address issues such as the intensification of economic and financial cooperation between Europe and Asia, global issues and the promotion of employment and social and cultural cooperation.

http://valtioneuvosto.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/fi.jsp?oid=426904

Inquiries: Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, Special Adviser (International Affairs), tel. +358 40 7483 867; and Päivi Paasikoski, Head of Communications , tel. +358 40 547 6279, Prime Minister’s Office