Asia-Europe Foundation - ASEF

🇯🇵🇮🇹 On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between and , ASEF supported the special curated tour of the exhibition Hokusai - The Great Master of Japanese Art in on 25 May. Director Valentina Riccardi attended the event together with several Embassy representatives of ASEF member countries.

Dedicated to the celebrated Edo-period ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, the exhibition presents works from the renowned collection of the National Museum in Krakow, .

The special tour was led by Ms Beata Romanowicz - Polish curator of Japanese art from Krakow National Museum and former participant of ASEF's programme - highlighting the importance of international and collaboration across and .

The event was co-organised by ASEF, Arthemisia, Embassy of Poland in Italy (Ambasciata della Repubblica di Polonia a Roma) and Embassy of Japan in Italy (Ambasciata del Giappone in Italia)."

🤝🇫🇮 A pleasure to meet HE Jari Sinkari, Director General of the Department for Asia and Oceania at Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Ulkoministeriö - utrikesministeriet), for a fruitful discussion on strengthening cooperation between ASEF and and advancing Asia-Europe collaboration.

Embassy of Finland in Singapore - Suomen suurlähetystö Singaporessa

📢 Apply now to join ASEF 15th Seminar in !

💡All details: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05NkjM0
✍ Apply by 31 May
✨ Open to citizens from Asia and Europe (51 ASEM countries)

Under the theme “Journalistic Resilience in a Volatile World”, the event will bring participants from Asia and Europe together to discuss how to tackle the challenges facing journalism today.

🌏 Connect with journalists from across Asia and Europe
🎤 Engage with media experts and practitioners
📰 Discuss the challenges shaping journalism today
🤝 Expand your international media network

Learn more about the 2026 ASEAN Chairship ⬇️

🎙️ Insights from our latest

Ms Sharon Seah, Principal Fellow at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, shared her perspective on the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship in a time of disruption. ASEAN 2026 PH

💡From navigating uncertainty to strengthening ASEAN’s strategic positioning, she highlighted the importance of continuity, regional cooperation and ensuring that words and actions match in today’s geopolitical landscape.

“The EU is widely seen as ASEAN’s natural partner: valued for its stance on free trade, climate and international law, and ranked among the most strategically relevant partners. Yet in recent years, there has been a perception of inconsistency in its support for the rules-based order. If words and actions don’t align, its influence in Southeast Asia may weaken.”

▶️ Tune in to hear the full conversation
🔗 https://na2.hubs.ly/H05LP3l0
🎧 Spotify | Soundcloud | Apple Podcast

Main Festival - Highlights 🤩

The Asia-Europe Cultural Festival 2026 Main Festival in , the Netherlands, has come to a close following 10 days of dynamic and diverse artistic showcases and dialogues, organised in partnership with SPRING Performing Arts Festival.

From , multidisciplinary works, , and and the first-ever edition of the AECFest CAMP - the programmes have highlighted the power and potentials of cross-cultural in strengthening relations between and . Featuring artists from 🇦🇺, 🇨🇳, 🇫🇷, 🇩🇪, 🇬🇷, 🇮🇳, , 🇯🇵, 🇰🇷, the 🇳🇱, 🇬🇧, 🇸🇬 and, producers and curators from 🇪🇪 , 🇯🇵 , 🇰🇷 , 🇱🇻, the 🇳🇱 , 🇹🇭 and 🇻🇳 - the Main Festival has exemplified how AECFest continues to serve as a platform fostering and between the two regions.

ASEF Culture warmly thanks our artists, CAMP participants and audiences for making the Festival possible. We also express our sincere gratitude to our partners for their collaboration and support.

now returns to Singapore for our Closing Curtain - Stay tuned for more updates!



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The 2026 is organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation with the support of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Udenrigsministeriet) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in partnership with SPRING Performing Arts Festival (SPRING Utrecht), with the support of Instituto Cervantes Netherlands (Instituto Cervantes Utrecht), Casa Asia (Casa Asia), Japan Foundation (Japan Foundation 国際交流基金) and Incheon Foundation of Art and Culture.

The Diplomatic Negotiation Action (DNA) Training , held from 18–22 May 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, has successfully concluded, with the programme graciously hosted by Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych and Akademia Dyplomatyczna MSZ

Over five days, the training brought together 24 diplomats from 22 countries across Asia and Europe, creating a dynamic platform for dialogue, peer learning, and exchange of perspectives on negotiation in an increasingly complex global environment.

The training focused on the practical and applied dimensions of diplomatic work, equipping participants with concrete tools across four areas: core negotiation principles and techniques; hands-on applications of AI in diplomacy; comparative lessons from ASEAN and EU regional integration; and strategies for negotiating effectively in environments marked by mistrust and disinformation.

Participants valued the opportunity to engage directly with counterparts from both regions, exchange practical experiences, and explore new pathways for strengthening Asia–Europe cooperation. The discussions underscored the growing importance of in today's complex global environment, and the role of sustained cross-regional dialogue in building the mutual understanding on which effective cooperation depends.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their generous hospitality and support, to our trainers and resource persons from Negotiation and Public Service, Geneva Graduate Institute Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych - PISM Centre for Eastern Studies - OSW European External Action Service - EEAS College of Europe in Natolin for their expertise and dedication, and to all participants for their active engagement and commitment throughout the week.✨

🤝
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Diplomatie.Belgium
Udenrigsministeriet
Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken



📸 Marcin Krokowski and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland

🇵🇱✨A pleasure to meet Polish Governor to ASEF, Ms Joanna Dopierała-Konkolowicz!

A warm thank you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland for hosting in the ASEF Diplomatic Negotiations Action programme, which brought together diplomats from across Asia and Europe. 🌏

🤝 ASEF Executive Director, Ambassador Beata Stoczyńska, met Director of the Asia and Pacific Museum, Dr Józef Zalewski and representatives of the Polish Forum for Young Diplomats, in , to explore future cooperation opportunities. 🌏✨

Muzeum Azji i Pacyfiku im. Andrzeja Wawrzyniaka
Forum Młodych Dyplomatów