Manila, Nov. 28 - The Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr., welcomed the adoption of the Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation by the leaders of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea at the conclusion of their summit meeting in Manila today.

Severino said that the adoption of the Joint Statement "represents an important milestone in the history of Asia." He said that it would serve to further consolidate the closer relations and increasing interdependence of East Asian countries. "East Asia has entered a new era of friendship and cooperation," Severino said.

In their statement, the leaders of 13 East Asian countries "agreed to promote dialogue and to deepen and consolidate their collective efforts" to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in East Asia. The leaders also agreed to hold regular meeting among them.

They also agreed to intensify their coordination in various international and regional fora, such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Asia-Europe Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. The ASEAN Secretariat, Severino said, welcomes the leaders' determination to project "an Asian point of view to the rest of the world." He affirmed the Secretariat's readiness to support this effort.

The leaders suppoted the on-going efforts of the East Asia Vision Group (EAVG) to formulate a long-term agenda for cooperation in East Asia. The ASEAN Secretariat attends the meetings of the EAVG. ASEAN looks forward to hosting a future meeting of the EAVG in ASEAN.

The East Asian leaders have endorsed the ASEAN HRD Initiative by establishing a Human Resource Development Fund. The HRD initiative is aimed at restoring ASEAN's the long-term competitiveness.

The Secretary-General stated that the Secretariat looked forward to the support that the leaders affirmed for ASEAN's efforts to implement the Hanoi Plan of Action.