ASEM Summit ends

The 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, a major gathering of the Asian and European leaders, concluded in the Italian city of Milan on Friday afternoon (Italy time). At the two-day Summit, the Asian and European leaders pledged to promote financial and economic cooperation through enhanced Asia-Europe connectivity. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who chaired the summit, announced at the closing ceremony that the 11th ASEM Summit will be held in Mongolia in 2016, also marking the 20th anniversary of the body. The summit, hosted by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, formally accepted Kazakhstan and Croatia as its members, making the ASEM a 53-member forum with enhanced influence. Over 50 leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, South Korean President Park Geun-hye attended this year Summit, which is held every second year. Apart from pledging to take steps to stop the outbreak of Ebola virus, the ASEM leaders put emphasis on the Ukraine issue, climate change and the promotion of financial and economic cooperation for sustainable growth, according to a news agency.