The 17^th ASEAN Transportation Ministers’ Meeting has opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to gear up for the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang attended the event on Thursday. Ministers said they appreciated enforcement of the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalization of Passenger Air Services to boost free transportation regionally. The meeting adopted a Framework for an ASEAN-wide Single Aviation Market which includes liberalization of air services, aviation security and air traffic management. The Ministers signed a 6^th protocol on Railway borders and interchange stations under a Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit.

The Ministers praised a master plan for establishing a regional Ro-Ro Sea transport network, which will allow cargo to be driven directly on and off ships, eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly cargo-handling and port-side equipment. They also discussed the development of Ro-Ro routes connecting the mainland and islands.

Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang on Friday held bilateral talks with his Cambodian counter part Tram Iu Tuc and the Head of the Japanese delegation.