"Thank God, the Indonesian economy continues to grow."Bangkok (ANTARANews) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Bangkok on Thursday that Indonesia is serious about building domestic connectivity.
"Why are we serious about building domestic connectivity? This is particularly because, thank God, the Indonesian economy continues to grow above six percent despite the global crisis," the President told a panel of WEF leaders.
President Yudhoyono delivered his keynote address to the opening of the forum, along with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Tammavong, with WEF founder Klaus Schwab as a moderator.
As an archipelagic state of more than 17 thousand islands, Indonesia was in dire need of domestic connectivity, he said.
On the other hand, the Indonesian economy was growing at a strong pace, with the number of middle-class people continuing to grow. Indonesia was also endowed with abundant natural and human resources, he said.
He expressed his belief that the domestic connectivity would contribute not only to the national economy but also to ASEAN and global economies.
Indonesia had adopted a blueprint for the development of domestic connectivity, namely the master plan for the acceleration and expansion of the Indonesian economic development (MP3EI), he said.
The blueprint would serve as a reference to get one area to another in the country connected, he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck meanwhile said connectivity was one of the prerequisites to increase economic activities.
Thailand was developing various infrastructure facilities to connect the economic activities of one area to another in Thailand as well as to neighboring states like Laos, he said.
The WEF is an independent international organization committed to improving global conditions by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is an impartial and not-for-profit organization; it is associated with no political, partisan or national interests.
(Uu.S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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