Check against delivery! 

Dear friends, ministers,  

Dear colleagues,  

It is my privilege to say the last words in this meeting. 

Time flies and it was already three years ago that we adopted our Indo-Pacific Strategy here in Europe. We did that because we were conscious of the importance to increase the dialogue and cooperation between the two regions.  

It is good that, three years later here in Brussels, [almost] 70 delegations from all over the Indo-Pacific region attended this meeting. 

This is a living proof of the consolidation of our links with this vast region and our joint commitment to ensure a secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.  

Everything has been said. I will not repeat what has been said by my predecessors talking to this assembly, but I want to remark how aware we are that the Indo-Pacific region stands at the crossroad of global affairs and that our cooperation is more important than ever. 

We need to work together for our security, many dimensions of security – even economic security, cybersecurity, climate security, security against the manipulation of information, [and] security against terrorism.  

We need to work together for a shared prosperity that has to be sustainable, that has to be resilient against economic shocks, that has to prevent the disruption of value chains. These long value chains that go through thousands of kilometres, from producers [to] consumers, from Europe to the Indo-Pacific and vice versa, that could be the target of a new conflict.  

We have to work together to green our economies and societies, to ensure energy security. 

Some of you have said today: “We were not responsible for climate change, but we pay the high price for that”. That is true, and that is why we have to work for an energy transition that has to be just. Otherwise, it will not happen, because inside the societies and among countries, there will be resistance to accept sacrifices and efforts that are not fairly distributed. 

Sustainable energy is a universal concern. Many people around the world need to consume more energy, because they do not consume almost nothing. 

So, the key for the balance of the global climate is not to ask everybody to do the same effort but to distribute them according to the responsibilities and capacities. What a great task in front of us. 

Today has been very useful to continue working together.  

We have to keep the momentum and use the insights gained at this Forum as a roadmap for our collective journey towards close cooperation, mutually enriching partnerships and – most importantly - lasting friendships. 

Thank you.  

Link to the video (starting at 29:57): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-251626