Senior agriculture and forestry officials from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, gathered in Hanoi on Wednesday to discuss regional cooperation to deal with current crisis, Vietnam News reported on Thursday.

The meeting is particularly important as it is held in the context of the current financial crisis, which is threatening the export of the region and affecting the livelihood of hundreds of millions of farmers and rural people, said Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat.

"The event was a chance for member countries to work out properly cooperation model for mutual development", said Phat.

Officials at the meeting shared their experiences on finding suitable ways to work together to ensure food security, as well as develop human resources and technology transfer so that the region's agricultural and forestry products could access the international market.

The meeting is a preparatory session of the 8th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (8th AMAF Plus Three), to be held on Friday. Ideas brought up at the talks will be considered in the 8th AMAF Plus Three.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2008)