Regional summits and bilateral meetings attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Myanmar on June 22 and 23 helped enhance bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, said Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.
The seventh summit among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) and the sixth summit of the Ayeyawadi-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) – which groups Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – were held as regional nations promote their international integration and active engagement in the building of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Son told the press.
Cooperation within these frameworks has been intensified in a result-oriented manner, he said, noting that at the summits, leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam valued recent achievements in various cooperation areas.
In terms of traffic connectivity, Vietnam and Laos officially launched the one-stop-shop customs model at the former’s Lao Bao and the latter’s Densavan border gates in February 2015, reducing procedure handling time and expenses.
Laos and Myanmar put a friendship bridge into use spanning the Mekong River that links the two sides. Meanwhile, regional nations have also upgraded and built roads along the East-West Corridor and the Southern Corridor.
The diplomat continued to say that Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar appreciated Vietnam and Thailand’s scholarship opportunities and asked the two providers to expand the programme.
The leaders also highlighted their countries’ organisation of regular tourism promotion events and joint tourism programmes with a view to realise the goal “Five countries, One destination”, he added.
At the summits, Deputy Foreign Minister Son said the leaders agreed to bolster cooperation in prioritised fields to improve the economies’ competitiveness, further engage in regional and global production chains and utilise new development opportunities brought about by the AEC and free trade agreements, ultimately narrowing the development gap within ASEAN.
Accordingly, the countries will continue facilitating trade, investment and cross-border transport of labourers and goods; encourage investments in agriculture, industry, and energy; tap into trans-national economic corridor potential like the East-West and Southern corridors; and build the sub-region into a leading global tourist destination, he noted.
Also at the summits, PM Nguyen Tan Dung proposed important suggestions to increase cooperation efficiency, expand space for economic development, and improve member nations’ competitiveness, all of which were lauded by the participating countries.
The Deputy Minister said the seventh CLMV Summit and the sixth ACMECS Summit were also a chance for leaders to renew their political determination to foster comprehensive cooperation, solidarity and amity.
Specifically, the countries valued and consented to expand the one-stop-shop model, which has been effectively implemented between Vietnam and Laos, Son said, noting that the success of this model will help boost trade in goods and services between Vietnam and the other nations.
The CLMV and ACMECS members also expressed their interest in partnering with Vietnam in its strongest field – agriculture – while appreciating its assistance in human resources development, which is a prerequisite for intensive affiliation in education and training between Vietnam and the others, he said.
On the fringe of the summits, the Vietnamese PM met with Myanmar President Thein Sein to discuss measures to boost friendship and multi-faceted cooperation as the two countries celebrate the 40 th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, the official added.
