32nd ASEAN senior transport official meeting kicks off in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 32nd ASEAN Senior Transport Official Meeting (32nd STOM) kicked off here on Monday to discuss ways to speed up the integration of ASEAN transport sector forwards an ASEAN Community in 2015.
  Speaking at the opening of the 32nd STOM, Tram Iv Tek, Cambodia’s minister of public works and transport, said that the ASEAN transport sector has made a significant progress towards realizing the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, and a number of significant agreements, protocols and endorsed measures covering all transport sectors had been concluded.
  “However, we still have a number of agreements and protocols to be finalized and signed and measures to be endorsed,” he said.
  A well integrated, efficient and secure transport system was a main driver to support the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, as it would enhance intra-regional connectivity within ASEAN and regional grouping through enhanced trade, investment, tourism and development, he said, adding that it would also to position ASEAN as a regional hub for broader East Asian region and beyond.
  The minister said the 3-day meeting would focus on speeding up the concerted actions in all four areas of land, air, maritime transport and transport facilitation in order to improve ASEAN competiveness and attractiveness.
  It would also look into the adverse effect of actions on the environment as the transport sector accounts for more than 20 percent of the world’s emission of Carbon Dioxide.
  In addition, the meeting would take concerted efforts to effectively address the road safety issue.
  The 32nd STOM is a preparatory meeting for the 17th ASEAN Transport Ministers meeting (17th ATM), which is scheduled on Dec. 15-16.
  Tram Iv Tek said the upcoming 17th ATM meeting expects to adopt the ASEAN Aviation Market Roadmap and its implementation framework for the development of the ASEAN Single Aviation Market; the Protocol to Implement the Seventh Package of Air Services Commitment under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services; the Protocol on Railways Border and Interchange Stations of the Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit.
  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) group Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.