Trade promotion was one of the priorities in 2013 set by economic ministers of 10 ASEAN member states (AEM) and the European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht at the 12th AEM-EU Consultations conference held here on Friday.

With determination to continue strengthening trade and investment relations between ASEAN and EU, participants in the conference approved the ASEAN-EU trade and investment cooperation program for 2013 to 2014.

Both sides also reconfirmed their viewpoint that trade and investment cooperation between the two blocs have expanded despite some difficulties of the world's economy.

ASEAN economic ministers recognized significant achievements obtained during negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between EU and some ASEAN members, including Vietnam.

ASEAN highly evaluated the EU's effective support in boosting ASEAN-EU economic cooperative programs, which contributed to speeding up the establishment of ASEAN's economic community by 2015, said Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang.

The 12th AEM-EU Consultations Conference is one of the events held in the framework of the ongoing 19th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Retreat in Hanoi.