During the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the "Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Community", the "Declaration on ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together" and the "ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children" were signed. The creation of an economic community is crucial because it will create conditions for an improvement in the free flow of trade and capital in the region.
The theme of the year-long hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World". According to preliminary plans, participants had to concentrate mainly on issues of economic cooperation, regional conflicts (especially disputes between China and its neighbors) and the fight against climate change. The summit was, however, dominated by issues of combating terrorism, especially due to the recent bombings in Paris and the civil war in Syria.
The summit of representatives from the top richest countries in the world was hold in Antalya. The main themes were the migration crisis and the fight against terrorism. With regards to economic issues there was general acceptance on the message of consistent implementation of previous commitments on increasing investment and promoting inclusive economic growth in the world.
An informal meeting of the leaders of the European Union and Africa related to the migration crisis took place in Valletta, Malta, on 11 and 12 November. During the summit, an EU Emergency Trust Fund was established in order to help stabilize the current situation as well as address the root causes of illegal migration. Cooperation with Turkey, which is currently the main transit country for Syrian refugees, was also discussed. Subsequently, the EU announced a joint summit with Turkey for 29 November.
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During the meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), representatives reviewed the Sahel Strategy which sets development priorities of the Sahel and the Sahara and promotes political dialogue within countries in Northern and Central Africa. The strategy includes 31 major projects worth 4.7 billion dollars and is to be implemented by 2020. The strategy relates primarily to the integration of infrastructure, food security, education and support measures for peace and security.
Kosovo has failed to get admitted to UNESCO. This negative vote took place during the meeting of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris on 9 November. Kosovo narrowly missed the two thirds majority as 92 countries voted in favor while 50 voted against and 29 abstained from voting, including Poland. As expected, Serbia and Russia voted against the membership, as well as 5 other EU Member States.
The parliamentary elections in Croatia on the 8 November 2015 have resulted in a win for the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), beating the ruling Social Democrat Party of Croatia (SDP). However, it came short of an absolute majority in order to govern alone. The campaigns of all parties focused on the refugee crisis. The winning HDZ opted for counteracting the influx of refugees with armed forces and by building fences. Another challenge for the new government will be to deal with its stagnating economy, which has resulted in one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU.
It was the country’s first national vote since a nominally civilian government was introduced in 2011, ending nearly 50 years of military rule. The opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won the election with a supermajority in the parliament. This gives her the opportunity to choose the president and form a government. However, NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from presidency because both her late husband and her children have foreign citizenship. The military has announced the recognition of the election results.
On 6 November 2015, the President of Cuba made his first state visit to Mexico. It was the first meeting since bilateral relations between the two countries deteriorated at the beginning of the 21st century. A series of agreements were signed on bilateral cooperation in the areas of tourism, agriculture, education and migration. The countries also agreed that in the near future a visit of Mexican entrepreneurs will be organized in Cuba.
The annual summit of ASEM (Asia - Europe Meeting) was attended by 30 foreign ministers from Europe and 21 from Asia. The meeting was held under the theme "Working Together for a Sustainable and Secure Future". The main topics discussed were, among others, next year's celebration of the 20th anniversary of ASEM, climate change, communication and sustainable development. The Polish delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Katarzyna Kacperczyk.
