Bandar Seri Begawan - Help in the realisation of the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity.

In the cooperation with Korea, the ministers expressed their appreciation for their strong support and assistance in ICT development, especially through policy consultation, human resource development and the dispatch of Korea's ICT experts to Asean member states and ICT workshops. The ministers also welcomed Korea's initiative on the Korea-Asean ICT Partnership Project as a new collaborative plan from 2012 to 2016 focusing on priority areas such as ICT infrastructure, new technology capacity building and ICT knowledge sharing.

Cooperation between Asean and dialogue partners was also extended to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ministers welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on "Joint Cooperation on Information and Communication Technology Development in Asean Countries" between Asean and ITU to strengthen cooperation in the areas of ICT development and to assist Asean in the implementation of measures as set out in AIM 2015.

Prior to the meeting, the 13th Asean Telecommunication Information Technology Senior Officials Meeting (13th Asean TELSOM) was also held earlier, on November 13 and 14.

The Brunei Darussalam delegation was led by Awg Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, Chief Executive of the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI). Also included in the delegation were senior officials from the Ministry of Communications and AITI.

The 13th Asean Telecommunications and IT Ministers Meeting and its related meetings with dialogue partners and ITU will be held in Singapore in 2013.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin