Taoiseach to attend Asia-Europe Summit

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is jetting off to South East Asia today to attend the fifth Asia-Europe Summit.

The two-day summit begins tomorrow in Hanoi, Vietnam and is the first to be attended by the newly enlarged EU.

Member states will be calling attention to the human rights situation in Burma and Government leaders will be looking how to forge closer economic relations between Asia and Europe.

While in the country, Mr Ahern will travel to Ho Chi Minh City where he will officially open the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation Medical Facility.

The Taoiseach will then embark on a whirlwind tour of Malaysia, Singapore and Bahrain.

He will address a number of trade development functions organised by Enterprise Ireland and meet Irish businesses in the region and the Irish community in each country.

Ireland’s trade with these countries has developed strongly in recent years and is centred on education, science, ICT and other high technology products.