Vietnam pledges to contribute more to ACMECS

18 Nov, 2010

Phnom Penh (VNA) - In the spirit of friendly neighbourliness and reliable partnership, Vietnam wants to contribute positively to the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) framework.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delivered the statement at the opening of the 4 th ACMECS Summit in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh on Nov 17.

Since its inception in 2003, the ACMECS cooperation has reaped a wide range of initial encouraging results and positively supplemented other cooperation frameworks being implemented in the Mekong sub-region and Southeast Asia, PM Dung said.

The PM said the ACMECS cooperation mechanism has been constantly strengthened and expanded to different areas, however, many cooperation potentials have yet to be fully tapped.

Following the opening ceremony, PM Dung empowered Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc to attend the debate session and related activities.

The 4th ACMECS Summit reviewed cooperation activities deployed since the 3 rd summit and put forward directions and measures to make ACMECS cooperation more practical in the years to come.

The summit applauded the member nations’ efforts in establishing a new cooperation mechanism on the environment and setting up a Working Group on Environmental Cooperation, which is co-chaired by Vietnam and Cambodia.

The summit adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration and the ACMECS Plan of Action for the 2010-2012 period, affirming the resolve to step up ACMECS cooperation for peace, stability and prosperity in the sub-region. The delegates agreed to hold the 5 th ACMECS Summit in Laos in 2012.

On the sidelines of the summit, an ACMECS Business Forum was held, drawing the participation of more than 350 companies from the member nations, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

The businesspeople explored investment and cooperation opportunities and recommended solutions to improve the investment environments in the ACMECS countries. They also held a dialogue with high-ranking leaders of the member nations.

Later in the day, PM Dung and his entourage left Phnom Penh, wrapping up their official visit to Cambodia and attendance in the 6 th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Summit, the 5 th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit and the 4th ACMECS. (VNA)