Southeast Asian economic ministers have signed agreements allowing their nations’ accountants, dentists and doctors to work in each other’s countries, officials said Tuesday.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministers signed the mutual recognition arrangements Monday on the eve of their annual gathering, a statement from the Singapore hosts said.
Under the pacts, ASEAN states will mutually recognise qualifications and standards covering accountants, dentists and medical practitioners so they can practice in any ASEAN country.
The accords will also ensure that professional standards in an ASEAN member state are maintained, monitored and regulated.
ASEAN has already signed similar arrangements covering architects, surveyors, engineers and nurses, the statement said.
The measures to facilitate movement of professionals within the region are part of ASEAN’s efforts toward economic integration, which include easing the flow of goods and services as well as investments.
ASEAN groups 10 countries with different levels of economic development, ranging from impoverished Laos to high-tech Singapore and the world’s most populous Muslim country Indonesia.
Its other members are military-ruled Myanmar, oil-rich Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
The group aims to achieve a single market and manufacturing base by 2015 to raise ASEAN’s profile in the face of competition from China and India.
ASEAN, a market of about 550 million people, has a gross regional product of 1.1 trillion US dollars and total trade of about 1.6 trillion dollars, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
