The ASEAN head of states and governments started to arrive in the Sultanate yesterday, while most of them will be arriving today, just few hours before the dinner.
The Summit, which is being chaired by Brunei Darussalam, will take place without Malaysian Prime Minister DatukSeri Najib Tun Razak as his country's general election will be held on May 5. His Excellency Senator Tan Sri AbuZahar Ujang, President of Senate, Parliament of Malaysia, will take part in the Summit for Prime Minister DatukSeri Najib.
In a statement provided at the media secretariat yesterday, under the theme of "Our People, Our Future Together", the leaders are expected to review and discuss the current progress of ASEAN integration and community-building efforts, including the implementation of the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC).
Other issues that will also be discussed are ASEAN's central role and the regional architecture, its future direction and ways in which to further strengthen the coordination and capabilities of ASEAN's existing institutional mechanisms, including the ASEAN Secretariat. The leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern.
Following the 22nd ASEAN Summit, Brunei Darussalam, as Chair of ASEAN, will release a Chairman's Statement, the statement added.
This Summit will include the 9th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) tomorrow (Thursday), which would provide emphasis on issues on ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan. "Besides accelerating the implementation of existing and new proposed projects, the ongoing works are also to enhance the operational and institutional mechanism of BIMP-EAGA," the statement said.
Leaders of BIMP-EAGA are expected to be debating on speeding up the implementation of the prioritisedinfrastructure projects in the region especially in transport, energy, trading and Information Communications Technology (ICT).
The 7th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Summit will also be held on Thursday.
The Brunei Accreditation Centre (BAC) has issued more than 10,000 passes divided into nearly 50 categories for the delegates and staff throughout the 22nd ASEAN Summit.
Formed on August 8, 1967 the grouping comprises Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The Brunei Times
