Let me assure all of you that the Government of Denmark will do whatever it takes to make this summit a new step forward to the benefit of our co-operation. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. Together we will continue to deepen our dialogue and co-operation on the main challenges facing Asia and Europe. In this era of globalisation, global problems more than ever require global solutions. Environmental problems, rising oil prices, barriers to international trade, financial turmoil and unequal access to information technology are all problems common to both Asia and Europe.
Global problems require global solutions.
ASEM has a major role to play in this respect. In our political dialogue, I believe there is scope for enhancing our co-operation on security issues of common concern. In particular, I believe that effective prevention of conflicts and crisis management are areas where we could all benefit from increased co-operation. In the dialogue on global economic problems we should keep in mind the declaration from the Millennium Summit in New York only some weeks ago. The declaration stated that the central challenge facing us today is to ensure that globalisation becomes a positive force for all people of the world.