On 20 October 2016, the 7th ASEAN Connectivity Symposium entitled “Intensify Partnerships to Realize the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025” was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, which co-organized by the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR, ASEAN Secretariat, and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
More than 200 people including H.E. Mr. Thongphane Savanphet, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR, H.E. Mr. Latsamy Keomany, Ambassador of Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN and Chair of ACC, Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of ERIA, Permanent Representative of ASEAN Member States (AMS) as well as its dialogue partners to ASEAN, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN-China Centre, ASEAN-Korea Center, international organizations, multilateral development banks, policy makers, think-tanks, enterprises and media attended the Symposium.
Deputy Minister Thongphane Savanphet, Ambassador Latsamy Keomany and Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura addressed the opening ceremony. The Deputy Minister said that as a land-locked country, the Lao Government attaches great important to enhancing connectivity which is putting considerable efforts to transform the country from being a “land-locked into a land-linked” and contribute towards greater connectivity in the ASEAN region. Under the Singapore-Kunming Rail Way Link Initiative, Lao PDR is working towards the construction of the railway from Vientiane to the Lao-China border and another railway, stretching from Lao-Thai border to Lao-Viet Nam border in the Central Province of Savannakhet is also in the process. Ambassador Latsamy pointed out that the journey to greater ASEAN connectivity was complex but promising, arduous but rewarding. Since the adoption of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2010), AMS have been tirelessly working together to improve linkages within the regions and beyond. Prof. Hidetoshi said that connectivity is the key term for ASEAN integration which consists three parts: physical, institutional and people-to-people aspects, that tackles with the economic integration and narrowing development gaps simultaneously. He again emphasized that to further deepen economic integration within and broader ASEAN region, acceleration of infrastructure development and improvement of invest circumstances through the MPAC 2025 implementation remain imperative.
In addition to the opening ceremony, a series of topics namely MPAC 2025 introduction, Forging Ahead Together to Realized MPAC 2025, Developing Cooperation and Collaboration with Dialogue Partners in Delivering MPAC 2025, Optimizing Engagement with Stakeholders, and Opportunities of Delivering MPACC 2025: Good Practices and Lesson Learnt were actively discussed and interacted among distinguished moderators, panelists and participants.
Ambassador Latsamy Keopmany, Chair of ACCC and Permanent Representative of Lao PDR to ASEAN, made closing remarks.
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