Minister Husni Attends ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting In Vientiane

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah is leading the Malaysian delegation to the 2nd ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Joint Meeting (2nd AFMGM) and its related meetings in Vientiane, Laos from April 1-4. A statement from the Minister's office said the meeting would start by discussing and exchanging views on global and regional economic developments and outlook with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and AMRO. Subsequently, Ministers and Governors will discuss and exchange views on the recent progress of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the Roadmap for Monetary and Financial Integration for ASEAN (RIA-fin). The discussions will revolve around liberalisation of financial services and capital account, capital market development, payment and settlement systems and banking integration. Progress initiatives under the ASEAN Central Bank Governors Process and ASEAN+3 Financial Cooperation will also be discussed as well as other matters of common interest. The statement said the meeting would be an excellent opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen regional financial cooperation towards the effective implementation of the AEC Blueprint 2025. The programme for Ministers also includes engagement with the ASEAN-EU Business Council and ASEAN-US Business Council. Meanwhile, Malaysia's participation in the 2nd AFMGM and related meetings is important as ASEAN is embarking on the implementation of the AEC Blueprint 2025 to achieve a highly integrated and cohesive region after the AEC was formally established last year. "Our cooperation is crucial to safeguard the nation’s interests as well as to reaffirm our stand that decisive actions must be taken to ensure financial stability is preserved," the statement said. It will further strengthen friendship and cooperation with other ASEAN member states, it added. --BERNAMA