South & Central Asia
In this connection, they welcomed the first direct consultation between ASEAN and the NWS in Hanoi on 19 May 2001, reaffirmed their support for this process, and called for continued consultations with the NWS. The Ministers also noted with satisfaction the progress in the implementation of the overlapping confidence building measures and preventive diplomacy . The Ministers welcomed on-going consultations between ASEAN and the nuclear weapon states on the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty and urged the NWS to sign the Protocol to the Treaty as soon as possible. The 35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting took place in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, on July. The Ministers acknowledged that following the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism, ASEAN at all levels had undertaken practical measures and expressed its determination to further enhance ASEAN’s role and contribution in the fight against terrorism. The Increasing Importance Of The Reserve Bank Of India The