Hanoi - The ninth ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting opened in Hanoi Monday, with delegations from 45 Asian and European countries attending.

The Asia-Europe Meeting will focus on cooperative measures to remediate the global economic slowdown.

At a meeting held on the sidelines of the meeting, European governments are expected to raise human rights issues with the

government of Myanmar, in particular regarding the ongoing trial against opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Chinese, South Korean and North Korean delegations were also reported to be holding discussions at a separate location in Hanoi. North Korea announced earlier Monday it had carried out a second test of a nuclear bomb.

Founded in 1996, ASEM is a multilateral channel for communication and dialogue, mainly on economic issues, between European and Asian countries. The group holds biannual summits and periodic meetings of high-level officials. (dpa)