Indonesia prepares for success ahead of BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT Summit in Labuan Bajo

INTI,- The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) for the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-The Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) was held on Friday, May 5th, at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta. The meeting was attended by senior officials from BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT, representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ASEAN Secretariat, and the Secretariat of IMT-GT (CIMT) and BIMP-EAGA (BIMP-FC).

The Indonesian delegation was led by the Deputy of International Economic Cooperation Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Edi Prio Pambudi, accompanied by Netty Muharni, Assistant Deputy of International Economic Cooperation, who is also the Chairman of the National Secretariat for Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation in Indonesia.

The meeting discussed the substance of the documents that will be reported to the Heads of State at the 15th IMT-GT and BIMP-EAGA High-Level Conference, which will be held on May 11, 2023, in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The discussions were focused on ensuring the success of the meeting between Heads of State in the ASEAN sub-region.

Deputy Edi emphasized the importance of ensuring that the Heads of State receive a concise report that reflects the performance of BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT in enhancing economic development in the sub-region. The year 2023 coincides with the 30th year of sub-regional economic cooperation in IMT-GT, so the meeting also discussed the journey and achievements of the past three decades in various substantive documents. The meeting also discussed the preparation for launching the Visit IMT-GT Year 2023 program, which aims to revive tourism in the IMT-GT sub-region post-pandemic.

Meanwhile, the preparatory meeting for the 15th BIMP-EAGA High-Level Conference was led by Malaysia. The meeting discussed several conceptual documents that will be reported to the Heads of State, including the BIMP-EAGA Minister's Report to Leaders. This report outlines the achievements of cooperation in five priority areas: food basket, connectivity, tourism, environment, and socio-cultural education pillar. The Heads of State of BIMP-EAGA will also approve the Joint Leaders' Statement, which contains directions from Heads of State to achieve the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025.

"BIMP-EAGA, as an ASEAN building block, plays an important role in achieving the regional integration agenda. The cooperation mechanism with a project-based approach can be used as a case study for ASEAN initiatives," said Deputy Edi.

As the host, Indonesia has made various logistical, accommodation, transportation, and other technical preparations to prepare for the arrival and needs of ASEAN country delegations. "As the host, we will do our best to provide the best service so that our guests will have the best impression while in Labuan Bajo," concluded Deputy Edi. ***. Hans