"Both countries discussed efforts to raise the trade volumes in their common border areas," Director for ASEAN cooperation in the trade ministry Imam Pambagyo said here on Friday.
He said the governments of the two neighboring nations had seen that their common border areas had big market potentials which of late had shown an upward trend, particularly trade in daily necessities needed by residents living in the border areas.
Imam said the topics of discussion on Friday were focused on smoothing trading in daily necessities by residents in the border regions.
They also discussed affirmation of their common border lines so that cross-border trading activities could be done in legally correct ways.
He said both governments hoped trade in the border areas would aim at meeting the needs of the local peoples but not burden them and neither pose difficulties to both governments.
In essence, he said, both governments would assist local consumers so that they would obtain reasonable commodity prices while traders would be able to do their business legally.
He said at present the volume of trade in commodities for daily necessities in the border areas by traders who had obtained border passes was worth not more than 600 ringgit per month.
Imam said the provision was an old regulation made by both countries and enacted in 1970.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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