CREATING a comprehensive transportation network, especially on air connectivity within the Asean region, will be the main focus of transport ministers gathered in Hanoi for the annual two-day Asean Transport Ministers’ (ATM) meeting.
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng said that connectivity is always one of Asean’s top priorities in carrying out measures to realise the bloc’s ultimate goal of economic integration as the ‘Asean Economic Community’.
“In order to reach this goal, it is of utmost necessity and importance to strengthen transport cooperation and connectivity,” he said when opening the meeting.
He also asked the transport ministers to keep rolling out initiatives and measures proposed within the framework of the Asean transport co-operation in aviation, maritime and road connectivity.
According to the portal Vietnam News, Dũng also said he hopes the ministers will effectively implement Asean agreements to better facilitate passenger and freight transport in order to move the region towards a future Asean Economic Community of “no boundaries or borders”.
The portal said that the ATM this year will also focus on promoting regional air transport with several aviation agreements being tabled.
The ministers also plan to sign a protocol to further support air transport between the bloc and China; and to review reports on negotiations over two agreements: the Asean-Japan Air Services and the Asean-South Korea Air Services.
The ministers are also expected to be updated on the first-ever bloc-to-bloc air transport deal, which is the future Asean-EU Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement.
Vietnamese Transport Minister Nguyễn Văn Thể said that after eight rounds of negotiations, Asean and the EU are very close to reaching a new generation air transport agreement between the two biggest blocs in the world.
He said they have also laid the foundations for even stronger connectivity in trade, tourism and transport between them.
“Asean members should accelerate their internal consultancy processes and complete negotiations to officially sign off on the agreement.”
With a combined population of over 640 million and an economy worth nearly US$3 trillion in 2018, Asean is currently the third biggest economy in Asia and the sixth largest in the world.