QINGDAO, June 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Regional cooperation has greatly contributed to peace and development in Asia, said a declaration issued at the third foreign ministers' meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) here Tuesday.

    At the close of the meeting, the 22 foreign ministers or their representatives of the ACD member states issued the "Declaration on Asia Cooperation".

    In the declaration, the ministers said they have noted "with pleasure" that Asia has been increasingly aware of the importance of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, thriving cooperation ofvarious forms at regional and sub-regional level and multiplying regional trade arrangements.

    The ministers said they valued the contribution by regional cooperation mechanisms to enhance mutual trust and understanding and promote of regional economic cooperation and integration.

    The mechanisms include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea(ROK) cooperation (10+3), ASEAN+1 (China, India, Japan, ROK), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC), the Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measures (CICA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

    "These endeavors have created a network of cooperation and laida solid foundation for Asia-wide cooperation for the benefit of Asian peoples," they said.

    The ministers emphasized the constructive role of ACD as "an important link of all sub-regions", "building upon Asia's potentials and strengths through supplementing and complementing existing cooperative frameworks."

    The forum provides a useful platform for dialogue and cooperation among Asian countries, based on its core values of positive thinking, inclusiveness, comfort level, as well as ACD asan informal, incremental and evolving process, the declaration said.

    They said they were satisfied with a number of ACD project activities over the past two years, including poverty alleviation,financial cooperation, tourism, SMEs, biotechnology, IT, energy, e-education, agriculture, strengthening legal infrastructure, standardization and environmental education, which have helped enhance an Asia-wide cooperation and served the fundamental interests of Asian peoples.

    At the same time, the ministers acknowledged that Asia's economic integration is still at an initial stage and its level ofcooperation has to be further strengthened.

    Asia must be outward-looking in promoting regional integration because Asia's prosperity is bound with other regions, based on equal partnership, said the ministers.

    In this regard, the ACD is "well in a position to play an important role," the declaration said.

    The 22 member states of the ACD are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei,Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republicof Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Sultanate of Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Enditem