Resolving the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and boosting the global economy were the top topics under discussion on the first day of the two-day summit of Asian and European leaders that began Monday in Laos.
The biennial Asia-Europe Meeting brings together leaders from 49 Asian and European countries as well as two regional organizations. The accession of three nations — Bangladesh, Switzerland and Norway — was commemorated in a ceremony ahead of the official opening of the meeting.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso are among the leaders attending the gathering in Vientiane chaired by Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.