Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum - Closing Speech.

Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum - Closing Speech

By : Mr. Amran Sameon

Director of Trade Facilitation & Technology, Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Venue : Swiss Garden Hotel KL

Date : 6 Oct. 2010

Title : Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum - Closing Speech.

Time : 17.00 p.m. (5 minutes)

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Good evening.

1. First of all, it is my pleasure to welcome you all, to this important international Forum. I would like to welcome some of you especially delegates from overseas to Malaysia and hopefully you have had a chance to visit some of the interesting places in the City of Kuala Lumpur.

2. I also would like to express my appreciation to all of you for your commitment until the end of this forum.

3. Trade facilitation plays an important role in ensuring the economic integration of developing countries, such as, Malaysia and the countries in the Asia Pacific Region into the global trading system.

4. Moving forward towards paperless trade is not without obstacles. However, the benefits of having an automated, efficient and transparent system clearly outweigh the obstacles. In addition to that, by having a paperless trading system will help increase efficiency of cross border transaction and thus, ultimately enhance firms’ competitiveness in Asia Pacific region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

5. After two days of intense discussions, I hope that we all have achieved our aims for this year’s Trade Facilitation Forum that is to further share and enhance our knowledge, experience and practices in Trade Facilitation with other members of this forum.

6. I would like to urge all of you to take the next step in enhancing our regional economic integration by disseminating all knowledge and experience that you have gained at this forum with the policy-makers and industry players in your own country.

I also would like to thank and congratulate UNESCAP, ADB, UNECE and other co-sponsors, such as, DagangNet Technologies Berhad, Government Agencies involved and relevant private sector in Malaysia, for the success in contributing and organizing this fruitful event. I also would like to mention my sincere thanks to Northport Management of Port Klang and PETRONAS for their facilities for our delegates’ site-visits.

Thank you all and I hope you have a pleasant stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And may you all continue your sessions with fruitful results. To our guests from abroad, As I said earlier, I hope you will make time to see more of the City of Kuala Lumpur, not just the confines of this hotel; and I take this opportunity also to wish you all to have a safe journey home.

Thank you.

Salam........................................................