Economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have emphasized the need to align and synchronize the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) project with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.
The ministers made the statement after hearing an update on both projects at the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC) held August 12, 2011 in Manado, Indonesia.
The synergy, they said, will support efforts by the ASEAN community to realize continued economic growth, reduce the development gap, and improve connectivity among ASEAN member-states and between ASEAN and the rest of the world.
Noting that the rail link is one of the key actions under the MPAC, the ministers encouraged the Special Working Group on the SKRL to coordinate closely with the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee on their plans and activities.
The SKRL is a flagship project of the AMBDC and a priority agenda in ASEAN transport cooperation. The circular rail link will be 7,000 kilometers in length and connect the capital cities of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Viet Nam, and Thailand.
The 13th Special Working Group Meeting on the SKRL will be held later this year to further discuss construction on the missing links and the mobilization of resources to complete the outstanding projects.
This year’s AMBDC Ministerial Meeting is the first since the ASEAN leaders adopted the MPAC at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi, Vietnam, on October 28 last year.
The last ministerial meeting on AMBDC was held on 27 August last year in Da Nang, Vietnam. The AMBDC, which was established in 1996 and which meets annually, will hold its next ministerial meeting in Cambodia in late August next year.
