Keynote Address For H.E. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Joint Dissemination Seminar for the Book on 'tInfrmtructurefor o Seamless Asia" Orgznized by Asian Development Bank X~stitute,Asian Development Bank, and Thailsnd Development Research Institute 09.50 - 10.10 hrs, 28 April 2010 Thailand Development Research Institute, Thailand Mr.J P Verbiest, Country Director, ADB Thailand Resident Mission, Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn (8nuiGmmns), Presideat, TDM Mr. Masabiro Kawai, Dean and CEO, ADBI Dr. Chalongpbob, former President of TDRT Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to tae ADB, ADBl and TDRT for giving me the opportwrlity to deliver the keynott address today. Indeed, these t h e e institutions must be given full credit for their excellent collaborative efforts in orgmizhg this very important and timely seminu on Inf;astrucfurefor a Seamless Ask. The lVZinistry of Foreign Affairs - and I personally - view the issue of hhstrticture deve!oprnent and improving regional connectitrity as abso!ately essential to the developme~tof Thailand, ASEAV Asia as a more competitive and dynamic partner to the rest of the world and a buildifig bloc for a more creative and green economy as we s'mount the global fmancial and economic crisis. That is why my Ministry, a c Roya! Thai Go-;ernment and indeed ASEAN have been working close!y with the AI>B in this regard, Throughout different times in history, Asia has served as one ofthe world's most vibrant trading hubs. Asia's prosperity was driven by a of icey factors, one of w&ch was the interconnections amongst h i m civiliz~tionsand subseqtlently between Asian civilizations and h e rest of h e world. For centiiries, the famous Silk Road was impuitant numbex path for c~mmercial,cultural and techoIogical exchange between people across ,4sian and h4edikmea.n corzntries. And recent research by &vin Menzies has made these past interconnections even mare significant, both in t!e economic sense and with respect to clessical notions o f history. It was though such connectivity that Asia achieved its prosperity. Today, despite occasional detours such as the 1997 financial crisis, Asia remeins at the heart of global ti-ade and growth. Central to fhe region's ecanomic success is the efforts made over the years to dcvelop regionai transport linkages. Yet, as the ADB study correctly points o ~ t , Asia's rapid gxowtcl has put severe pressure or,the existing inkastmcture, especially in transport, energy as well as communications. As such, there is a strong need for substantial investments LII infias~rllcturedevelopment in Ask, if we were to maximize our region's untapped potential and create a mly seamless and prosperous region. To k6y -tr;lcture end, Thailand has made co~tinuousefforts in developiag that enhances regiofid connectivity. Pivot4 in oil? efirts is the belief that improved mraectivity would help nziirow- the developmeat gaps between comtrits, improve orrr region's competitiveness, as we11 as pramote intra-regional trade, investment, tourism a ~ dpeop!e-to-people coatacts, and of course to make the ASEAV Community a reality. From 2003 to 2008, Thailand provided approximately 113 biliion baht worth of frnanciai and technical assistance to neighboring cwmtries. Two-thirds ofthis &stance has been allocated t~ the constrrlction of 30 infraskdcture development prcrjects in the region. So we Rave become more of a rising donor co-mts-y. A r'ew examples of Thailand's contributions include the 3rdand 4m hfekong Bridges connecting Thailmd with Lao PDR Tnese 2nd orher contiibutions - made tr'lzougir vario\ra sub-regional. cooperation frameworks such as GMS, ACMECS, BMSTEC and Mekong-Japm, and most recerrt Mekong-Mssissippi Cooperation - illustmte Thailand's -untiring commitment in enbianchg physical connectivity and promoting shared prosperity in Asia as a means to help close development gaps nithii the Mek~ngsub-region, build 2 more c~mpetitiveregional economy and contribute bwards integrated securizg ASEAN's centrality in the evolving regional architecture. h this ~omectio~, Thai!and applauds the A m ' s o'itstaciing role in pronoting Asia's connectivity through its financial md tec'hnicai support zxtended to Asian countries. From promoting cross-border trada facilittion through the implementation o f GMS Crcss-Border Transpolrt Agreement, to undertiking the BXMSEC Trasport hfrastmcture =(? Logistics Shdy or organizing capacity building program far Asian officials, the ADB has becn in the driver's seat in promoting regional cooperation in creating a s e d e s s and thriving Asia, Indeed: it is my strong hope that the ADB, as well as other important organizations such as 'JN ESCAP and the World Bank, will continue to work closely with Asian countries and nake significant contrib~ionsto our regim's quest for einhanced connectivity and rmtual prosperity. Distinguished Guests, Ladies a d Gentlemen, In pursuing these endeavors, no country and no organization can do it alone. For Thaihacl, we have Seen working with par?ners both w ;.& and outside the region to zttain these shared objectives of erhanced regional comectivity. Ofit o f our key partners is, of course, ASEAN. ASEAN has an impormt role to play in creating and fosteri~ga regioa of 'oemless' connectivity, an image ha?ASEAN strives io see being reafized, both \.+&in ASEAN itself aqd between A S E M its external partners. Ehmcir,g connectivity in ASEAN is not a new idea, but has been pursued by A S E m Member States continuously at various levels, including at the national, ASEAK, and regional levels, through variom infiastructsre development projects and bilateral and multilateral agreements to expedite such 'seamless' connection. Xr- an zttempt to stimulate the development of enhanced cmnectisity, ASEAN Leaders have issued a Statement on ASEAN Connectivity at the 15" ASEAN Sunmit in Thailand md agreed that e High Level Tzsk Force on ASEASIJ Connectivity be established to sbidy ASEAN's intcrnai and external ccriectivity and to dzrifi a Master Plan on ASEAV Connectivity. The iritention o f the Master Plan is not to create a new f i a i i e w k of cooperation, bur rather to push forward various plan3 under existing r e g i o d ai~dsub-regiond frameworks. Under tctle Master Plan, missing links obstacles, I would like to emphastse the wards "missing iinks and obstacles", will also be identified, and projects will be prioritized into short-term and long-termprojects. I believe that an important aspect of ASEAN Connectivity, aside from the development o f hardware infrastructure, is the sohare side which deds -with cross-border facilitation, A connec~edroad and rai! netwcrk in ASEAX will not provide any v d ~ added e benefits to Member Statcs if goods cannot be trmsported smoothly and efficientpj along Lhe routes. Redundant c!earance procedures at variotls border check pints, long waiting time for customs office to ogen, and different riles and regulztions, such as on the size and weight limit of trucks diowed within a country, all hinder the deveiopment of a semless connectim. This is indeed m area on which ASEAN places tigh impor?a?ce and which will need to bz addr~ssedin the Master Plan. ASEAN, like the rest o f Asia, stands to benefit sigfiificznt'ly from the physical linkages that are efficiently syported by cross-border hcilitation a d ICT for a 'seamless' Asia. However, we must also bear in mind that the increased cross-flows in goods, services znd psople that come with it can also bring about ~~~iintefided negative consacpences, Problems such as pollution and the potential rise in transnation4 crimes, pandemics and illicit trafficking in small arms, light weapons a d Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) axid related material, z!). thxeakri national, regional security and indeed human security. It is therefore importam ta develop appropriate safegumds to deal with these u ~ h t e n d e dconsequences of enhanced connectivity, an area t??atwill be extensively discussed and addressed in the Master Plan. h more intercorimted .4SEAN is in itself not a guarantee to greater prosperity f ~ the r peoples of Southeast Asia. It requires peace md stability generated by a greater sense of s h e d beionging by the peoples of the region, a rules-based e n v i r o ~ ~ ethat n t can give confidence to investors and a platform for geater co-mectivity with East Asia, South Asia and the rest of the world. In these long-term efforts, Thailand will c o n ~ . u sto play a leading role because its future prosperity wili be better served by being pa,^ o f a more integrated and dynamic community of nations in ths region and beyond. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Much has been said and done regarding the importance of infrastructure dzvelopment to sustaining Asia =d ASEAX's growth. Indeed, I do not t.bj,i there is any docbt ia our mind that all Asim countries wcdd reap sgbstar9izl beaefits fiom investkg irr the necessary infiastjructure and streamiining relevant d e s and regulati~ns&at enhance regional connectivity. However, as noted in this study, much more remains to be done to turn om vision of a seamless Asia into a reality. With oar agreement that through connectivity we can achieve shared prosperity, I urge all stakeholders to *Lake our cooperation to greater heights, and take more proactive and concrete steps to promote Asia's hfi-~~tmcture development. The pan-Asian infiastsuctwe f o r m (PAIF) proposed by the ADB sb~dyis an exampIe of innovative ideas that seek to enhance our regional ccopzration and warrvli fk-ther discussions. Through cur fm deta-tnination and collective ziction, X strongly believe that a seamless, vibrant and prosperous Asia, in tandem with ~i more integrated, intercomected and competitive ASEAN C o r n w i t = , cm cw'tniy- be realized. Let us, through our actions and deeds, and in constmctive patnership amongst ail stakeholders, make this impo-t journey tog&het, Thad!! you very much.