The Straits Times interviews ASEF Executive Director
Published on 01 Jul 2010
Below is an excerpt from The Straits Times interview with ASEF Executive Director Ambassador Dominique Girard, which was published on 29 June 2010 (page A19). You may wish to visit The Straits Times website to read the full report.
"Strong ties are built upon open dialogue: Table Talk with Dominique Girard"
by Cheong Suk-Wai, The Straits Times (Singapore)
“It's a mistake to take for granted that Europe is more advanced on all fronts than Asia. What is being more advanced, by the way? That's our attitude at ASEF - it's not a place where people come with lessons to teach others or wisdom that cannot be equalled or surpassed. The idea is that, while we may have different histories and experiences, we certainly have common goals to promote better overall dialogue and peace.
For example, at COP15, the climate change conference in Copenhagen last December, we and our partners from Japan, Sweden and Slovenia organised an unofficial side event on the question of deforestation... The atmosphere in Copenhagen was absolutely frigid because everybody was pinned against the wall. But at our side event, we had a totally friendly discussion that was not self-righteous, offensive or superior to others... Of course, we could not change what happened at Copenhagen - let's be realistic - but we contributed to establishing (new) links.”
