ASEAN Finance Ministers hold first-ever Gulf investor roadshow in Dubai

The 5th ASEAN Finance Ministers Investor Seminar, hosted by Finance Ministers and senior Government officials from across Southeast Asia, was attended by hundreds of Gulf-based executives, including business leaders, fund managers and investors.

This is the first time ASEAN Finance Ministers have embarked on a Gulf roadshow, following similar events in London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong over the past four years. Organised by the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia, with Barclays Capital serving as private-sector partner, the Dubai meetings aimed at attracting capital from the Gulf region into the economies of ASEAN included regional briefings, country presentations and panel discussions.

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN, said:

"Our meetings here in Dubai represent the first significant step in an exciting new direction - for the benefit of both the Gulf and ASEAN. We are entering a new era of enhanced partnership between these two regions, with tremendous synergy and complementarities for mutual growth and prosperity."

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York in September, the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and ASEAN agreed to enhance their relations and cooperate in areas of finance, investment, tourism, healthcare, agriculture/food, energy, human resources and cultural exchange. That same month, the GCC Secretariat and ASEAN Secretariat entered into agreements to cooperate closely on economic, development, political and security matters.