The 10th ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (TELMIN) and the 11th ASEAN Telecommunications Senior Officials Meeting (TELSOM) opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 13.
Present at the events were over 300 delegates from the field of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from ASEAN countries and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK). Vietnam’s delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Thanh Hung.
The annual TELMIN aims to strengthen ICT relations among ASEAN countries, while the TELSOM is held at least once a year for member countries to share information and experiences in developing policies and effective management.
At the meetings, ministers again agreed that ICT is not only a factor to push economic development in ASEAN countries, but also a tool to compete in the global economy.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, said 78 percent of ASEAN countries’ citizens were now using ICT in various areas of daily life. ICT created more than 11.7 million jobs and contributed 3 percent of ASEAN’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although ASEAN faced challenges in the recent decade, ICT has continued to develop and became a necessity in the 21st century life, he pointed out.
Delegates focused on reviewing achievements in ICT, and assessing activities and the management role of ASEAN ICT Development Fund. Also, on this occasion, Malaysia and Vietnam officially handed over the Fund’s Director and Deputy Director positions to Myanmar and the Philippines.
According to Nguyen Thanh Nam, a member of Vietnam’s delegation, as Deputy Director of ASEAN ICT Development Fund, Vietnam played a positive role in guiding the member countries, proposing and carrying out projects, and managing expenditure source contributed by members. Now Malaysia and Vietnam are considered to lead in ICT in the region, he noted.
The TELMIN approved ICT plan to create a comprehensive, strong and integrated ASEAN.
Source: VOV