I would like to congratulate our colleague, the Minister of Finance of Japan, Mr. Kiichi Miyazawa and also his Vice Minister Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, for the excellent preparation and organization of this meeting. The subjects we are discussing deal with very important issues and present major challenges for most of our countries and I believe that at the end of our third meeting, the outcome will constitute a major step forward. But many challenges remain. In particular, there is already a risk that the process may lose momentum, if it can not confirm and maintain its clear relevance to the actual problems faced by the financial authorities, public and business sectors and financial markets.
Internationalization poses also a major challenge and many problems remain to be solved.
For Greece, ASEM economic dialogue and co-operation should be able to make a genuine impact on the trade and investment conditions facing our economic operators. In our point of view, ASEM efforts in the economic field should focus on strengthening the economic partnership between the two regions, with a view to enhancing our economic, financial, trade and business relations, promoting sustainable and equitable development. Strengthening two-way trade and investment flows between Asia and Europe, with special attention to be paid to key technical barriers to trade, such as customs, standards and Sanitary Physical Standards, and to an active dialogue on the most onerous barriers to trade and the most effective investment promotion and policy measures. Emphasizing the central role of the Asia Europe Business Forum and facilitating two-way dialogue between government and business community. The importance of Europe and Asia in the world economy, and the ongoing process of globalization, means that the prosperity of our two regions is inseparably linked.