Indonesia Puts Forward Issues on Infrastructure, Connectivity in APEC Meetings

Surabaya, East Java (Antara) - Indonesia as the APEC Summit Chair in 2013, has pushed discussions on the development of infrastructure to support the regional connectivity in the ongoing Second Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM 2) and Related Meetings of APEC being held here, April 6-19, 2013. In addition to the infrastructure development and investment, other issues being discussed during the meeting include women's empowerment in economic program, the competitiveness of small-and-medium scale enterprises, the improvement of access to health services, and international cooperation in education, Ambassador Yuri Thamrin, the Indonesian foreign ministry's director general of Asia, Pacific and African cooperation, said here on Friday. Ambassador Thamrin, as the chair of the APEC SOM 2, said the idea to put forwards priority issues was supported by senior officials of the 21 member economies of APEC in the meeting. Indonesia is safeguarding the connectivity plan in Asia and the Pacific which is expected to facilitate people in the region to travel and do businesses, according to him. In the future, through this infrastructure framework, physical connectivity facilities such as bridges, harbors and seaports, will increase, he said, adding that related regulations and transparency will also be improved.(*) (T.SYS/A/F. Assegaf/Bustanuddin)