KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Asean Economic Ministers will engage in earnest discussions on the development of post-Covid-19 recovery efforts at both the national and regional levels at the virtual 27th Asean Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat, to be held March 2-3, 2021.

This year, Brunei Darussalam as Chair of Asean 2021, presents its theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”, which underscores the importance of fostering the well-being of people, preparing for future opportunities and uncertainties, as well as prospering together as a unified region.

In a statement today, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) said the economic ministers would also discuss the follow-ups on the various recovery efforts  — especially on the Asean Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and its implementation plan — and other related strategies in stimulating regional economic recovery and resilience.

The AEM Retreat, being the first scheduled meeting for the Asean Economic Ministers, will also deliberate the Priority Economic Deliverables under Brunei’s Asean chairmanship, operationalisation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 and progress updates on Asean external economic relations.

The ministers will also discuss the recommendations made by the High-Level Task Force on Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) to the AEM, as well as decisions made by leaders at the Asean Summit last November.

Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali will lead the Malaysian delegation for the meeting.

“Malaysia extends strong support to Brunei Darussalam’s chairmanship and looks forward to forging closer coordination and cooperation with all Asean member states in implementing steps for economic recovery, as well as pursuing the regional economic integration agenda as embedded in the Asean Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025, whilst charting the future of AEC post-2025,” the ministry said.

The annual consultation with the Asean Business Advisory Council (Asean-BAC) will also be held back-to-back with the AEM Retreat.

“As Asean esteems the support and contribution from stakeholders such as the private sector in steering the AEC agenda, this platform also provides constructive exchange of ideas towards jointly materialising regional recovery efforts through timely and meaningful implementation of the ACRF that would benefit the Asean community as a whole,” it added. — Bernama