””””YANGON, Aug. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Myanmar leader Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt
said on Thursday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains
vibrant as ever before, appraising it as one of the most successful regional
organization in the world.
””””Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and Development
Council, made the remarks at a ceremony here, marking the 35th anniversary of
ASEAN Day, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported Friday.
””””He said the economy of the ASEAN region is one of the largest in the world
and is regarded as a potential high-growth area.
””””However, he said that it is natural that ASEAN has faced its own problems
and challenges during the past 35 years, especially the 1997 financial crisis.
””””But, he commented that ASEAN members were able to recover from the crisis
by enhancing economic integration, strengthening financial cooperation and
adopting special mechanisms to assist each other.
””””The Myanmar leader said the ASEAN Regional Forum founded in 1994, with 23
members including all five permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council, has shown the vitality and dynamism of the association, he said, adding
that the ASEAN+3 process has also made significant progress.
””””Concerning Myanmar, Khin Nyunt said during the past five years since the
country joined the ASEAN in 1997, the relationship has been mutually beneficial,
adding that Myanmar has faithfully adhered to and implemented its obligations to
the association and continues to make important contributions to the peace,
stability and prosperity of the region.
””””On the trade sector, he disclosed that nearly 30 percent of Myanmar's
exports goes to ASEAN countries, while ASEAN constitutesnearly 47 percent of its
total imports.
””””On investment, he said three out of the top five investors in Myanmar are
from ASEAN member countries with a total of 3.8 billion US dollar investment in
Myanmar, accounting for 51 percentof the total investments.
””””However, the full potential of cooperation between Myanmar and other member
states still remains untapped, he added.
””””ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Enditem
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