ULAN BATOR, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Fifth International Conference of the Ulan Bator Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security kicked off here Thursday in Mongolia's capital city.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar said the main topics are ways to strengthen the recent positive developments and exchange views on short- and long-term prospects of the security environment in the region.

The dialogue has brought together more than 150 representatives from China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, the United States, India, Germany and France as well as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

The participants are discussing the Northeast Asian security environment towards 2025 from different perspectives, covering the areas of environment, energy and humanitarian assistance.

"The dialogue will contribute to mutual understanding, which is good for the future scenario of bringing more peace and trust to the region," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president at the China Institute of International Studies.

Alexander Vorontsov, head of the Korean and Mongolian Studies Department at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agreed with Ruan by saying that the event helps to improve mutual understanding among different countries.

The international conference has two plenary sessions -- "Perspectives on Fostering Regional Cooperation through Mutual Trust and Understanding: Challenges and Opportunities" and "Northeast Asian Security Environment Towards 2025."?