Bimp-Eaga transport routes to be expanded
Friday, October 26, 2007
Joint declaration to endorse opening of more land and sea routes across region
CONTINUING on with the momentum that has recently been regained with the resurgence of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) was the rigorous focus and spirit of the 15th Bimp-Eaga Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) yesterday in the southern Philippines province of Davao City, Mindanao.
Representing the sultanate was Tuty Wahab, the SOM official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with other personal representatives of the three other Eaga members.
The SOM meeting discussed and agreed to bring forward two more focus areas for the 12th Bimp-Eaga Ministers Meeting today that will be led by Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II.
Realising that only by increasing trade, investments and tourism, through the economic, political and social development of the sub-region as a whole, can poverty be reduced in a viable way by stimulating growth through the closer integration of the Eaga economies.
At the joint declaration expected later today, the ministers are expected to endorse the expansion of opening up more transport corridors to include land and sea routes, particularly for easier cross-border movement of buses and coaches within the Eaga region, as well as establishing and promoting efficient and integrated sea linkages to facilitate intra-Eaga maritime trade and movement of people.
The second focus will be further expanding on their drive for better environment management of shared natural resources, which had already been initiated with the terrestrial Heart of Borneo project, by the initiation of the maritime preservation shift on the Sulu-Sulawesi marine eco-region, known as the Coral Triangle Initiative.
The CTI was first discussed last month, during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Meeting in Sydney.
In Australia, the 21 Asia-Pacific leaders discussed and welcomed the CTI initiative, which Bimp-Eaga is now implementing, out of their concern for coral reefs and fisheries as well as global food, water and energy security issues.
Another concern surrounding the recent drive to initiate this second environmental preservation project was for the commitment towards reducing energy intensity and climate change.
By recognising the sub-regions economic and trading potential, Asean leaders gave a strong signal to Eaga of its full support and commitment. Some of the tangible results that have been achieved recently, as a result of this support, were the opening of air routes between Brunei and Kuching last month as well as other air corridors and linkages between the Eaga members: Pontianak, Balikpapan, Manado and Tarakan in Indonesia, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri and Labuan in Malaysia and Davao, Zamboanga, General Santos and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines.
On the focus of tourism development, the SOM officials discussion focused on culture, adventure and tourism (CAN) tourism, converging the sub-regions tourism and transport sectors, developing its tour packages as either single or multi-tour destinations within the Eaga region as well as establishing a roadmap for the joint promotion and marketing of its tourism potential.
Among the other priority areas of cooperation that Brunei is responsible for are in the transport, infrastructure and information-communications technology (ICT) sectors.
The Brunei Times
CONTINUING on with the momentum that has recently been regained with the resurgence of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) was the rigorous focus and spirit of the 15th Bimp-Eaga Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) yesterday in the southern Philippines province of Davao City, Mindanao.
Representing the sultanate was Tuty Wahab, the SOM official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with other personal representatives of the three other Eaga members.
The SOM meeting discussed and agreed to bring forward two more focus areas for the 12th Bimp-Eaga Ministers Meeting today that will be led by Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II.
Realising that only by increasing trade, investments and tourism, through the economic, political and social development of the sub-region as a whole, can poverty be reduced in a viable way by stimulating growth through the closer integration of the Eaga economies.
At the joint declaration expected later today, the ministers are expected to endorse the expansion of opening up more transport corridors to include land and sea routes, particularly for easier cross-border movement of buses and coaches within the Eaga region, as well as establishing and promoting efficient and integrated sea linkages to facilitate intra-Eaga maritime trade and movement of people.
The second focus will be further expanding on their drive for better environment management of shared natural resources, which had already been initiated with the terrestrial Heart of Borneo project, by the initiation of the maritime preservation shift on the Sulu-Sulawesi marine eco-region, known as the Coral Triangle Initiative.
The CTI was first discussed last month, during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Meeting in Sydney.
In Australia, the 21 Asia-Pacific leaders discussed and welcomed the CTI initiative, which Bimp-Eaga is now implementing, out of their concern for coral reefs and fisheries as well as global food, water and energy security issues.
Another concern surrounding the recent drive to initiate this second environmental preservation project was for the commitment towards reducing energy intensity and climate change.
By recognising the sub-regions economic and trading potential, Asean leaders gave a strong signal to Eaga of its full support and commitment. Some of the tangible results that have been achieved recently, as a result of this support, were the opening of air routes between Brunei and Kuching last month as well as other air corridors and linkages between the Eaga members: Pontianak, Balikpapan, Manado and Tarakan in Indonesia, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri and Labuan in Malaysia and Davao, Zamboanga, General Santos and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines.
On the focus of tourism development, the SOM officials discussion focused on culture, adventure and tourism (CAN) tourism, converging the sub-regions tourism and transport sectors, developing its tour packages as either single or multi-tour destinations within the Eaga region as well as establishing a roadmap for the joint promotion and marketing of its tourism potential.
Among the other priority areas of cooperation that Brunei is responsible for are in the transport, infrastructure and information-communications technology (ICT) sectors.
The Brunei Times
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