Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and her Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Dy Nien, reaffirmed on Saturday their commitment to resolving the ongoing dispute between Asia and the European Union over admitting Myanmar to the Asia-Europe Meeting, officials said.
After the talks between Nien and Kawaguchi, a joint statement was issued also announcing the periodic holding of vice ministerial-level consultations and dialogue between their foreign and defense authorities, cooperation over Mekong River development projects, and fostering of Japanese-language instructors.
Ahead of the upcoming ASEM summit in Hanoi, the European Union is reluctant to admit the military-ruled Myanmar as one of the new ASEM members. The row escalated when EU foreign ministers last month canceled two ministerial meetings that had been planned prior to the summit.