KOTA TINGGI: Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz visited the International Media Centre (IMC) for the 31st ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat in Desaru which will be held on Feb 28.
He arrived at the IMC at 4.20 pm accompanied by his deputy Liew Chin Tong and was welcomed by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
Despite his tight schedule, Tengku Zafrul took the opportunity to spend time and greet local and foreign media practitioners.
During his five minute visit, he was briefed on the daily operation of the IMC by Nur-ul Afida and he expressed his satisfaction with the IMC’s operation.
Bernama, the official media and coordinator of the IMC, is providing media requirements including news materials and photographs to local and international media personnel.
The IMC officially began its operations on Feb 25 and as of now, 102 media personnel, comprising local and international journalists, have registered to cover the AEM Retreat, to be attended by over 200 delegates from the 10 ASEAN member states and observer nation Timor-Leste.
The 31st AEM Retreat and related meetings held in Desaru from Feb 22 to 28 will be chaired by Tengku Zafrul, in conjunction with Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025.
During the retreat, ministers are expected to discuss 18 Priority Economic Deliverables (PED) aimed at strengthening regional integration, enhancing inclusiveness, promoting sustainability, and stimulating digital trade in ASEAN.
The retreat began with the 12th Working Group-ASEAN Economic Community (WG-AEC) Meeting on Feb 22-23, followed by the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) Meeting on Feb 24-25, and the Preparatory Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (Prep-SEOM) from Feb 26-27, culminating in the AEM Retreat tomorrow (Feb 28).
