MIFER Union Minister attends 21st ASEAN AECC Meeting and related meetings

The delegation led by Myanmar AECC Lead, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Dr Kan Zaw participated in the 21st ASEAN Economic Community Council (AECC) Meeting and related meetings which were held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 9-10 November 2022.
The Union minister attended the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit which was held at 8:30 am local time in Cambodia on 10 November 2022. Prime Minister Mr Hun Sen of Cambodia addressed the keynote speech.
Afterwards, the Union minister joined the 21st AECC meeting which was held from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. At the meeting, the ministers discussed matters pertaining to the implementation status of 19 priority economic deliverables under Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022, the progress of cross-sectoral/pillar work which covers the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, Fourth Industrial Revolution, ASEAN digital transformation initiatives and ASEAN sustainability agenda, follow-up action to the AEC mid-term review (MTR) recommendations and the status of development of the AEC core elements for ASEAN’s post-2025 vision. During the meeting, the ministers endorsed the 21st AECC report to the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and 2022 AECC outcome documents and considered the draft text of the AEC section of the ASEAN’s Chairman Statement.
The Union Minister discussed the matters relating to intensifying the efforts of relevant AEC sectoral bodies for completing the remaining PEDs in a targeted timeline and incorporating the review of the implementation of ongoing ASEAN digital transformation initiatives and the analysis of the digital readiness level of ASEAN member states when ASEAN conducts the study for the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
At the Special AEM-CER Consultations held from 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm, the ministers provided the necessary guidance on the remaining issues towards the substantial conclusion of the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) upgrade negotiations.
The second AEM-UK Consultation was conducted from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The ministers exchanged views on regional and global economic developments and noted the progress of economic cooperation activities between ASEAN and the UK (2021-2022). In addition, the ministers endorsed the work plan to implement the ASEAN-UK Joint Ministerial Declaration on Future Economic Cooperation.
The meetings were chaired by Mr Pan Sorasak, Minister for Commerce of Cambodia and attended by ASEAN Economic Community Council Ministers, senior economic officials (SEOM), the deputy secretary-general of the ASEAN Secretariat and representatives. The meetings were joined by U Thit Linn Ohn, Ambassador of Myanmar to Cambodia, Dr Marlar Myo Nyunt, Myanmar SEOM Lead, Director General of the Foreign Economic Relations Department and responsible persons together with the Union minister.
During the meetings, the Union minister signed the Protocol to Amend the ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons. In addition, Union Minister attended the gala dinner and ASEAN business awards ceremony, hosted by the chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council 2022 which was held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on 9 November. The Union minister also attended the opening ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits on the morning of 11 November. — MNA