NAY PYI TAW, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) — Energy ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have pledged to enhance cooperation in areas of energy security and sustainability and broaden collaboration with the bloc's dialogue partners and international organizations.

ASEAN ministers made the pledge at the end of their 34th  ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) late on Thursday.

With the theme of "Toward  Greener Community with Cleaner Energy", the four-day meeting discussed strategies to achieve higher aspirational targets to improve energy efficiency and increase the uptake of renewable energy sources in line with the ASEAN Plan of Action  for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2020.

The meeting agreed on the aspirational target to increase the component to renewable energy to 23 percent  by 2025 in ASEAN energy mix and reduce energy intensity by 20 percent  in 2020 based on the 2005 level.

Myanmar Deputy Minister of Energy and Electricity Tun Naing said the meeting reached an agreement on enhancing connectivity for energy security and accessibility through the construction of more gas pipelines, promoting the technology for use of coal and clean coal, and implementing civilian nuclear energy in 2016-17.

The ASEAN energy ministers decided to meet for their 35th occasion again in the Philippines next year.