ASEAN to hold symposium ahead of summit

Antara News, Thu, November 3 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will organize a symposium connecting all stakeholders in the region in Bali on November 8-9.

"The symposium will review the latest developments in the implementation of a master plan approved in October last year," chief of the event`s organizing committee I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, said here on Tuesday.

Themed "enhancing ties in pursuit of an ASEAN Community by 2015" the symposium would bring together more than 200 government officials, academics, practitioners, representatives of international organizations in ASEAN, he said.

In its developments, he said, the ASEAN Connectivity Coordination Committee (ACCC) had so far adopted 15 priority projects, including the Singapore-Kunming rail link (SKRL), ASEAN highway network (AHN), a feasibility study on the construction of a roll-on. roll-off (roro) port, one-stop operations, and a common visa system.

"In the initial stage roro will link Davao in the Philippines to Bitung in North Sulawesi," he said.

In this connection, a number of ASEAN member states had held dialogs as part of efforts to implement the master plan, he said.

To implement the master plan, ASEAN finance ministers had agreed on the first phase of the construction of ASEAN infrastructures which would cost US$485.2 million, he said.

"Hopefully, the figure will increase to US$3.6 billion in 2020," he said.

Deputy for Public Economy to the ASEAN Secretary General S Pushpanathan said the symposium was very important to unite stakeholders and develop mutually beneficial cooperation.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, and Myanmar.

Indonesia is currently ASEAN chair.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono