Finance ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered at a meeting in Myanmar’s administrative capital Naypyitaw on April 5 to discuss the regional and global economic outlook.

The event, the 18th of its kind, also drew senior officials from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, to look at a post-2015 vision for the ASEAN Economic Community and challenges in banking sector reforms.

Myanmar Finance Minister Win Shein, who chaired the meeting, said the ministers are committed to facilitating robust economic growth in the region and increasing the region’s resilience against challenges.

Moreover, the participants also agreed to enhance the bloc’s finance cooperation in endeavours for economic integration to support the realisation of the community, he said.

The agenda also includes discussions on regional economic development and a roadmap for financial and monetary integration between ASEAN members.

The ministers are also scheduled to discuss the progress of initiatives under the ASEAN Central Bank Governors Forum as well as financial cooperation between ASEAN and ASEAN+3 – which groups 10 ASEAN members and China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.-VNA