KUALA LUMPUR: The long- standing relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Germany was formalised Monday with the convening of the inaugural ASEAN-Germany Development Partnership Committee (AG-DPC) Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
In a statement, ASEAN said that with this formalisation, the AG-DPC, which comprises members of the ASEAN Secretariat, the Embassy of Germany in Jakarta and the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, will provide the direction and oversee all aspects of development cooperation and capacity building programmes between the two parties.
Germany was conferred with the status of ASEAN Development Partner by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers at their meeting on July 24, 2016 in Vientiane.
“ASEAN and Germany enjoy time-honoured and substantive relations. The AG-DPC will bring this relationship even further for mutual benefit,” the statement said.
The inaugural AG-DPC took stock of the current status of ASEAN-Germany cooperation and discussed new collaborative areas for future cooperation, including technical and skills training, tourism, green and renewable energy, sustainable development, promotion of small and medium industries and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Besides adopting the Terms of Reference for this Committee, the AG-DPC also had an exchange of views on recent developments in the respective regions.
The AG-DPC was co-chaired by Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Hirubalan V P and Germany’s Ambassador to ASEAN Michael Baron von Ungern-Sternberg. All members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN attended the meeting. – Bernama