Civilization Interaction
04/24/08 06:00Malaysian PM calls for more Europeans to study in Asia
Hanoi (ANTARA News) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that European nations should send more students to study in Asia in a bid to help promote cultural understanding and international cooperation.
It is the norm for Asia to send its young people to study in Europe, but not the other way around, news reports quoted PM Abdullah as saying at the third ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting (CMM) in Kuala Lumpur on April 22.
"In the East, we have been sending students to Europe but we seldom see Europeans coming to study here," he was quoted by VNA as saying in his opening speech.
He told the delegates from over 30 countries, at the meeting themed "Cultural Diversity: Realizing the Action Plan", that it was up to them to take the lead in their respective countries to establish a higher degree of understanding and trust amongst themselves.
The ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting), established in 1996, is an inter-regional forum that promotes respect for cultural diversity while targeting inter-regional cooperation and community building.
