Nepal stressed on strengthening of confidence, collaboration and cooperation between the
landlocked countries and their transit neighbours to get unfettered access to
sea as its basic need of landlocked countries like Nepal.
Addressing
the meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), organised at the margin
of the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in
Bali today morning, trade, commerce and supplies, and finance minister Shanker
Prasad Koirala said that that LLDCs are facing structural problems like lack of
direct territorial access to sea, isolation from international market and poor
transport and transit infrastructure resulting in low share of global trade,
lack of diversification of products and markets and marginalization.
"The
high transport and trade transaction costs constitute serious impediments to
trade competitiveness, equitable access to global markets and beneficial
integration of economies into the world economy," he said, adding that
construction of transport and transit infrastructures, their proper
maintenance, and enhancement of trade facilitation measures are of critical
importance for LLDCs. "We are of the view that bilateral, sub-regional and
regional approaches to transit and transport cooperation can go a long way in
providing more efficient and competitive choices to LLDCs like Nepal."
Koirala
also underscored that the concerns and special needs of LLDCs deserve special
attention within the umbrella of Multilateral Trading System. Expressing hopes
that the proposed Trade Facilitation Agreement would be helpful in lowering
transaction costs, ensuring full freedom of transit and placing strict limits
on fees as well as allowing expedited movement, release and clearance of goods,
he stressed on trade facilitation measures, in particular those related to
transit and transport, are important for growth and expansion of the external
trade of LLDCs
Referring
to the Comprehensive Ten-Year Review Conference on the Implementation of the
Almaty Programme of Action for LLDCs (APoA) to be held next year, Koirala
stated that the Review can be an opportune occasion for the international
community to critically consider all the unique challenges LLDCs face.
The meeting chaired
by the vice minister for Foreign Affairs of Paraguay Federoco Gonzalez, was
attended by the secretary-general of UNCTAD Mukhisa Kituyi, and ministers and
senior officials from LLDCs. The meeting also adopted a Ministerial Communique.
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