News From : DagangHalal.com (16 Mar 2009)
KOTA KINABALU, Feb 27 (Bernama) –Discussions on strengthening sub-regional cooperation, is on the agenda of the 5th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA)Leaders Summit tomorrow. The one-day meeting will be held in Hua Hin, Thailand. A statement issued by the Mindanao Economic and Development Council (Medco) here today said that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will lead the discussion on recent developments,particularly on the progress of implementation of flagship programmes and projects under the BIMP-EAGA Development Roadmap for 2006-2010. The leaders will also discuss updates on the directives of the 4th BIMP-EAGA Leaders Summit held in 2007 in Singapore. Key decisions and directives on various EAGA initiatives, such as enhancing cross-border trade and investment facilitation at the BIMP-EAGA priority ports through strengthened customs-immigration-quarantine-security (CIQS)coordination, expanding transport connectivity through increased air and sea linkages,enhancing LGU cooperation as well as halal and tourism industry development are among the other matters expected to be highlighted at the meeting. Key officials from the ASEAN secretariat and the Asian Development Bank are also expected to join the open discussions. The BIMP-EAGA Leaders Summit is a meeting of the heads of the four member countries and aims to address current issues and future direction for accelerating socio-economic growth within the sub-region. Efforts to strengthen the BIMP-EAGA sub-regional initiative are strongly recognised by the Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, as a key development strategy towards increasing trade, investment and tourism in the Southern Philippines. Created in 1994, BIMP-EAGA is a mechanism primarily intended to spur development in the lagging sub-economies of the member countries by boosting intra-EAGA trade, tourism and investments. The sub-regional cooperation comprises the whole of Brunei Darussalam, 10 provinces in the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan, Sulawesi,Maluku and Irian Jaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan in Malaysia and Mindanao, Palawan in the Philippines. Source: BERNAMA.com Photo Credit: PresidentSBY.info