Beijing (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla held a bilateral meeting with Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj in Mongolia on Thursday night to discuss efforts to strengthen relations and cooperation between both nations.

According to a press statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing on Friday, Kalla conveyed the warm greetings of President Joko Widodo and congratulations on the organization of the 11th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Mongolia.

During the meeting, the Indonesian vice president also highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation between both nations, especially in the fields of trade and economy.

Indonesia and Mongolia had established diplomatic relations on December 21, 1956.

Vice President Kalla and his entourage arrived at the Chinggis Khan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. local time to attend the 11th summit of the ASEM.

The 11th ASEM Summit officially commenced in Ulaanbaatar at 9 a.m. local time at the Shangri-La Hotel on July 15, 2016.

This years summit themed "20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity" is bringing together high-level delegations from 51 ASEM partners comprising 30 European and 21 Asian countries as well as from two intergovernmental organizations.

The presidents of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Myanmar, South Korea, and Switzerland; the vice presidents of India and Indonesia; and 11 heads of state in total are attending this summit.

A total of 23 countries, including Japan, China, Finland, Luxembourg, Russia, and the Netherlands, are attending the summit on a head-of-government level, whereas the attendees from the remaining 16 countries are foreign ministers.

Additionally, the European Union is being represented by Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by Le Luong Minh, the secretary general of the ASEAN.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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