Obama may attend business summit in KL

United States President Barrack Obama may attend the 4th Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2013 in Kuala Lumpur on October 11, which
will mark his first visit to Malaysia.

Ministry of Finance
secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Irwan Serigar Abdullah said so far,
indications from the White House were positive on the possibility of
Obama attending the summit.

"World leaders will congregate at
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chief Executive Officers
(CEO) Summit 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, from October 5.

"We (MOF)
will invite them to attend the GES Summit to be held later in Kuala
Lumpur," he told a press conference after the soft launch of the GES
2013 in Putrajaya, today.

The GES is a follow-through on Obama's
commitment to emphasise the importance of entrepreneurship in
Muslim-majority countries globally.

Themed, "Empowering and Connecting Entrepreneurs", the two-day event will be organised by the Treasury.

Meanwhile,
US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Lee McClenny said: "We've been
informed by the White House that the President intends to come to Kuala
Lumpur and participate in the summit as part of his visit to Southeast
Asia."

He said the President will attend the APEC CEO Summit and intended to pass through Kuala Lumpur for the GES Summit.

The
presidential summit on entrepreneur was first held in Washington in
2010, followed by Turkey (2011) and United Arab Emirates (2012).

The
GES brings together entrepreneurs from the Middle East, South Asia,
Southeast Asia and the United States and provides an important platform
for entrepreneurs to network, exchange experiences and knowledge, as
well as, form business alliance.

More importantly, the summit
has united policy makers, regulators, entrepreneurs, small-and-medium
enterprises, stakeholders, investors, corporate leaders, non-government
organisations and incubators in discussing the support and development
of SME ecosystem.

GES 2013 is expected to draw some 3,000
participants from all around the world consisting of entrepreneurs,
academicians, professionals, and for the first time, representatives
from Asean member countries.

Irwan said the hosting of GES was in line with the government's
initiative to increase the number of entrepreneurs in the country.

"This
is an important moment in the development of entrepreneurship in
Malaysia. The GES will serve as a platform for entrepreneurs to share
experience and expertise.

"They can also expand their business network and market their products," he added.-- Bernama