Development, cooperation and security the focus of Ban’s talks with Asian leaders

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has met with two Asian leaders to discuss various regional issues, as the General Assembly summit assessing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) continues at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Meeting yesterday with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Mr. Ban discussed various issues relating to cooperation between the UN and Viet Nam on the MDGs.

They also touched upon the upcoming summit between the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an important opportunity to find concrete ways to enhance ASEAN-UN cooperation. It is scheduled to take place on 29 October in Hanoi.

In his meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold, Mr. Ban noted Mongolia’s good progress towards the MDGs, through what he called its committed leadership and effective action. They also discussed issues relating to landlocked countries, climate change, nuclear disarmament, and Mongolia’s contributions to UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.

The Secretary-General expressed support for Mongolia’s nuclear-weapon-free status and for its constructive role in regional peace and security. He also expressed appreciation for Mongolia’s active role on climate change, as well as an expectation that cooperation between the UN and Mongolia would continue to be strengthened.

The progress towards the MDGs made by Tajikistan was the focus of talks between Mr. Ban and the country’s President Emomali Rahmon.

The two leaders also conferred on regional peace and security issues, including the threat posed by drug trafficking and terrorism, as well as on the importance of regional cooperation in addressing challenges such as counter-terrorism and water management in the region.

The Secretary-General congratulated the Tajik leader for the success of the June conference on the 2005-15 International Decade for Action on the theme “Water for Life,” as well as for the country’s strong support for the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA).

The Centre was launched at the end of 2007 with the aim of helping the five governments in the region to increase their capacities to peacefully prevent dialogue, facilitate dialogue and respond to cross-border threats and challenges such as terrorism, drug trafficking and environmental degradation.