Regional Workshop on ASEAN Investme

[mg_myanmar@xxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Regional Workshop on ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) Process begins

SOURCE: The New Light of Myanmar (Tuesday, December 21, 1999)

Regional Workshop on ASEAN Investment Area (AIA)
Process begins


YANGON, 20 Dec - Regional Workshop on the ASEAN
Investment Area (AIA) Process jointly organized by
Directorate of Investment and Companies
Administration, ASEAN Secretariat and Hanns Seidel
Foundation began at Hotel Equatorial this morning,
with an address by Minister at the State Peace and
Development Council Chairman's Office Brig-Gen
Abel.

Also present were Minister for Mines, Deputy
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of
Germany Dr Marius Haas, Ambassador of Laos Mr Ly
Bounkham, Charge d'Affaires ai of Embassy of
Singapore Mr William Chik Kam Weng, senior
investment officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Vietnam, observers and guests.

Minister Brig-Gen Abel delivered an address.  He
said:

It is indeed an honour and a great pleasure for me
to say a few words at the opening ceremony of the
Regional Workshop on the ASEAN Investment Area
(AIA) Process for the senior investment officials
from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
First of all, on behalf of the Government of the
Union of Myanmar and on my own behalf, may I
extend my warm welcome to all of you to the Golden
Land of Myanmar.  I am grateful to have the
opportunity to host this auspicious workshop held
in Myanmar.

It has come to my knowledge that the Coordinating
Committee on Investment (CCI), under its Human
Resource Development Programme, is to conduct one
workshop for the new Member Countries and another
workshop for the other ASEAN Member Countries
every year.  This is the first of its kind of the
new member countries.  This is made possible with
funding support from Hanns Seidel Foundation
(Germany) and I would like to express my sincere
gratitude to Mr Gunter Renner, Regional Director
of Hanns Seidel Foundation Singapore for his keen
interest to support the programme.

The prime objective of this particular workshop is
to provide investment officials from new Member
countries, responsible for the implementation of
the AIA Agreement, with better understanding on
international investment issues discussed at
international fora and to facilitate discussion on
how the new member countries could better respond
to the ramifications of these international
investment issues.

In line with such objective, the topics such as
international investment issues and its
implications, investment cooperation in ASEAN, and
features, commitment and progress in the
implementation of the AIA Agreement will be
discussed by prominent resource persons.
Furthermore, participants will make country
presentations and exchange views and experiences.

The Second ASEAN Informal Summit, held in Kuala
Lumpur on 15th December 1997, adopted the ASEAN
Vision 2020.  In order to implement the long-term
vision, actions plans are being drawn up.  At the
Sixth ASEAN Summit held in Hanoi in December 1998,
the ASEAN Leaders had adopted the Hanoi Plan of
Action aiming at, among others, implementing
initiatives to hasten economic recovery.  To
create a stable, prosperous and highly competitive
ASEAN Economic Region in which there is a free
flow of goods, services and investments the
initiatives such as acceleration of implementing
the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and acceleration
of the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) were included.
Moreover, the bold measures were launched in order
to improve the investment climate by extending
additional special privileges to qualified ASEAN
and on ASEAN investors in the manufacturing
sector, for applications received from 1st January
1999 to 31st December 2000 and approved there
after.

Furthermore, it was agreed that in order to
accelerate the implementation of the AIA
Agreement, Temporary Exclusion List (TEL) for the
manufacturing sector will be progressively phased
out by the year 2003 instead of waiting for 20io
as initially agreed.  Myanmar will join the first
six ASEAN countries to progressively phase out the
exclusions by the year 2003 instead of 20is,
Vietnam and Laos will excert their best efforts to
achieve the early realization of the AIA and shall
do so no later than 2010, instead of 2013 and 2015
respectively.

Due to the impact of economic turmoil in the
region, FDI flows have slowed down significantly.
In this context, discussions of this workshop we
aimed at enhancement of the understanding of the
investment officials on FDI flows into the region
as well as the global FDI trend, pattern and
development.

In the light of such circumstances, I would like
to urge all participants to focus on the
realization of our goal towards the ASEAN Vision
2020.  I am confident that by exchanging views and
opinions among those who attend the workshop in
the spirit of mutual understanding, the outcome of
the workshop would he very fruitful and
successful.

Before I conclude the statement, may I again
express my sincere thanks to Hanns Seidel
Foundation for financial support.  May I extend my
sincere thanks to ASEAN Secretariat for their
assistance.

My thanks are also extended to all personnel of
Hotel Equatorial for their superb arrangements for
the workshop.  Last but not least, may I express
my deep appreciation to the staffs of Directorate
of Investment and Company Administration for their
coordinated efforts to mobilize and prepare for
the workshop.

Thank you all for your kind attention and wish you
a pleasant stay in Myanmar.

Regional Director Mr Gunter Renner of Hanns Seidel
Foundation of Singapore branch office made a
speech.

Participants led by expert Mr Martin Khor and
Senior Officer Ms Maricel Macesar of ASEAN
Secretariat discussed investment matters relating
to World Trade Organization and impact on member
nations, prospects of foreign investment in ASEAN
region points on the investment agreement among
ASEAN nations and implementation.

The workshop continues tomorrow.
********************************************

Mg Myanmar
A Myanmar citizen who loves Myanmar

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