Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal

The ministerial conference of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) that was scheduled to be held in Riyadh on Nov. 25 has been postponed to a later date, according to informed sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The conference was to be hosted by the ministry in cooperation with the 32-nation ACD, a pan-Asian initiative that seeks to promote cooperation among ACD member states.

The sources revealed that the postponement of the meeting was mainly due to the low level of participation from member countries. A senior diplomat based in Riyadh explained that the Kingdom intended for this meeting to be attended by foreign ministers of the member countries, yet some of the members cannot send their senior officials due to the 18th SAARC Summit being held in Nepal around the same time, which involves eight countries.

Earlier in a statement, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that “Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 13th ministerial meeting of the ACD comes as an expression of its commitment to achieve integration among ACD countries by expanding areas of cooperation, exchanging experiences and building partnerships.”

A number of ACD member states had already confirmed their ministerial-level participation, yet the cancellation went ahead. The Asian Development Dialogue (ACD) is a regional forum of Asian nations which seek cooperation by adhering to the principles of equality, reciprocity, mutual benefit, lasting peace, stability and prosperity. Its activities involve the implementation of bilateral and regional programs and projects in various sectors, including economic, financial, social and rural development, poverty eradication, natural disaster prevention, conservation and preservation of a clean environment, rational utilization of natural resources and ensuring sustainable development.

Since its inception, the ACD has rapidly developed in recent years, with ACD foreign ministers now meeting annually to discuss ACD developments, issues of regional cooperation and to discover ways to enhance Asian unity. Further, ACD countries have now stressed 20 key areas of cooperation, such as energy, agriculture, biotechnology, tourism, poverty alleviation, IT development, e-education and financial cooperation, in order to result in increased projects-based developments.

Currently, the ACD comprises 32 countries. They are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

 
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