By Lian Guohui, Wang Haifang

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit will contribute to further direct cooperation between Europe and Asia in addressing global warming, financial turmoil and other problems, Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk has said.

In a recent written interview with Xinhua, Tuerk said the upcoming 7th ASEM summit in Beijing would be a new experience for him but he has followed the developments of ASEM as he worked as UN assistant secretary general for political affairs.

"I believe that these summits are very important for political reasons and for strengthening all forms of cooperation," said Tuerk, "The world is becoming increasingly decentralized and it is very significant that two major regions, Europe and Asia, cooperate directly."

"I would like to point out that global warming continues to be an important priority and a strategic question for the future of mankind, said Tuerk, adding that political wisdom requires that issues of global warming are not neglected or that their importance is not reduced due to the current global financial crisis.

Tuerk said that the global economic order is in a state where reforms are necessary, especially in the financial sector. There is also a need to finalize the Doha round of global trade negotiations.

"The (ASEM) summit can play a useful role in promoting the right decisions to be taken both in the area of trade as well as in the area of finance. By doing that, it will also promote international peace and security," he said.

The global financial turmoil, which was triggered by the United States credit crunch, has inflicted grave consequences to many countries.

Tuerk believes that the current financial turmoil requires very careful thinking and serious reforms.

"I believe that it would be useful if current discussions could lead to a reform to the global financial system and something that would result in clearer and predictable criteria for the conduct of international financial policies, including lending policies," said Tuerk.

"Of course there are also short-term tasks and Europe and Asia have to coordinate their activities to stabilize the international financial situation. The Summit in Beijing will provide the opportunities to discuss this matter," he said.

Tuerk said relations between Slovenia and China have developed smoothly since the establishment of diplomatic ties 16 years ago.

"We are very confident that relations between the two countries will further develop," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2008)