The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will contribute "significantly" to bringing Europe and Asia closer together, according to Luxembourg's minister of foreign and European affairs, Jean Asselborn.

"We are convinced that this bank will significantly contribute to the rapprochement of our two continents and our joint projects such as the New Silk Road, the ASEAN economic community, and the European Fund for Strategic Investments," the minister said on Thursday.

He made the remarks in a speech at the opening of the 12th ASEM meeting of foreign ministers, here which will last from Nov. 5 to 6 under the theme of "Working together for a sustainable and secure future".

Luxembourg joined the AIIB this year as the bank's first non-regional founding member.

"We see many opportunities for synergies to address the huge infrastructure development needs in Asia and Europe," Asselborn added.

Representatives of 57 countries with the status of founding members of the AIIB, a multilateral financial institution proposed by China, agreed on the bank's charter in Singapore in May. It is expected that the bank will be officially established in Beijing in late 2015 and will begin to finance the construction of infrastructure in Asia. Endit

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