25th ASEAN Transport Ministers’ Meeting opens in Ha Noi

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung speaks at the event

The opening session was attended by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, the Ministers of Transport of 10 ASEAN member countries, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community Dr. Alladin D. Rillo, and leaders of the transport ministries of the three dialogue partners.

The meeting is an annual forum for ASEAN Transport Ministers and officials from the partner countries to discuss and reach a consensus on ensuring the building of a connected, efficient, integrated, safe and sustainable transportation network in the ASEAN region, thereby contributing to the formation of a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN economic area by 2020.

The ATM 25, which brought together around 250 delegates from ASEAN nations and the bloc’s partner countrie, will focus on discussing four major issues, firstly including the finalization of procedures to sign government-level multilateral documents aiming to strengthen transport connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and partner countries.

Addressing the event, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung said ASEAN has become one of the most successful reginal organizations in the world. With a combined population of over 640 million and GDP of nearly USD 3 trillion in 2018, ASEAN is currently the 3rd biggest economy in Asia and the 6th largest in the world.

As the bloc is striving to build the ASEAN Economic Community, it always considers connectivity and integration as one of the top priorities so as to capitalize on the advantages of a dynamic and potential region. In this regard, enhancing transport connectivity is of critical importance, Dung said.

With a favourable location on transport routes linking Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and other regions in the Asia-Pacific, Viet Nam has been working hard to develop transport infrastructure, which has given a facelift to the country and enhanced connectivity among its regions as well as between Viet Nam and the world.

Dung said that in 2020, Viet Nam will mark 25 years of its ASEAN membership and hold the bloc’s chairmanship. As the ASEAN Chair, it pledges to continue making substantive contributions to the building and development of a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community towards an ASEAN of peace, stability and prosperity.

Photo: VGP

This year’s ATM and associated meetings are scheduled to last through November 15, during which the ministers are expected to sign a protocol concerning the implementation of the commitment package no. 11 on air transport services under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, in order to facilitate the implementation of the Agreement to further liberalize aviation support services in the region.

The ministers will hear a report on the overall implementation of programs and projects under the framework of the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (ASEAN Transport Strategic Plan) 2016-2025, in the following areas: Air transport, maritime transport, ground transport, and transport facilitation.

They are expected to approve projects, plans and action programs within the framework of ASEAN transport cooperation in 2020 and discuss the enhancement of transport collaboration between ASEAN and its dialogue partners (China, Japan, the Republic of Korea) and other partners (EU, the US-ASEAN Business Council) in various fields, especially in aviation cooperation./.

By Vien Nhu