TNAG-1792-FCO40-2552-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 215

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127

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FM FCO

TO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS

TELNO 172

OF 041345Z MAY 88

HILD-

243/8

, MAY 1988

AND TO PRIORITY BANGKOK, JAKARTA, MANILA, KUALA LUMPUR

--

161327

MDLOAN 7231

N515

Mr Etman + PA

HANOI

OMIS S/S

AND TO PRIORITY SINGAPORE, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN,EC POSTS, AND TO PRIORITY UKMIS NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, MOSCOW, TOKYO, HONG KONG AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

HONG KONG FOR GOVERNOR.

PART ONE OF THREE

EC/ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING, DUESSELDORF, 2-3 MAY 1988 FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF JOINT DECLARATION:

BEGINS.

QUOTE.

1. THE SEVENTH MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS WAS HELD IN DUESSELDORF ON 2 AND 3 MAY 1988. THE MINISTERS HAD A COMPREHENSIVE EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SUBJECTS, REVEALING A HIGH LEVEL OF AGREEMENT. THE MEETING CONFIRMED THAT EC AND ASEAN DEVELOPED A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WHICH MATURED INTO AN ENHANCED AND BROAD MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN ALL FIELDS. THE MINISTERS FELT THAT IT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE EC AND ASEAN TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE ELEMENTS OF THEIR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SOLIDARITY. THE EXCELLENT RECORD OF RELATIONS AMONG THE MINISTERS GAVE CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS OF STATES.

·

2. THE MINISTERS WELCOMED IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THEIR LAST MEETING IN JAKARTA IN OCTOBER 1986, IN PARTICULAR PROGRESS IN INTEGRATING THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY MANIFEST IN THE SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT THE IMPRESSIVE CONFIRMATION OF ASEAN SOLIDARITY AT THE MEETING OF ASEAN HEADS OF GOVERNMENT IN MANILA IN DECEMBER 1987 AND ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS IN WORLD POLITICS AS REFLECTED

THE BY THE CONCLUSION OF THE INF TREATY. AT THE SAME TIME, MINISTERS EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN THAT REGIONAL CONFLICTS HAD NOT YET BEEN RESOLVED. THEY REAFFIRMED THEIR DETERMINATION JOINTLY TO WORK FOR THE RESTORATION OF PEACE IN THE REGIONS OF TENSION TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY

THE MINISTERS WERE SATISFIED TO NOTE THAT THE ECONOMIES OF THE EC AND ASEAN HAVE AGAIN SHOWN UPWARD TRENDS DESPITE DIFFICULT GLOBAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. THE MINISTERS EXPRESSED THEIR GREAT

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