Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stated that Vietnam is ready to contribute to the cooperation within the framework of the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) mechanism and proposed specific support for the countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (second from left) at the 9^th CLMV Summit. (Photo: VGP)

Attending the 9^th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 16^th, PM Phuc said Vietnam will help the countries to attend large trade fairs in Vietnam, build an e-government, improve digital capacity and skills, and continue to provide CLMV scholarships for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar students.

He stressed that narrowing the development gap within ASEAN is significant to the socio-economic development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as to the stability and prosperity of ASEAN as a whole.

The Prime Minister said there are three points worth attention in order to achieve the best outcomes in CLMV cooperation. First of all, the cooperation should focus on sectors which are the strength of the concerned countries, with high feasibility, especially in the context of there being limited resources and the four countries’ participation in various Mekong mechanisms. He pinpointed a number of examples such as soft infrastructure connections, agriculture, tourism, human resource training, and the development of a sound and equal business climate.

Secondly, the CLMV should be creative in mobilising resources and building joint projects, he said, suggesting integrating CLMV’s contents into other Mekong cooperation mechanisms and involving development partners in CLMV meetings and project execution.

Thirdly, the four nations should build mid and long-term cooperation strategies to serve as a foundation for their joint activities.

During the 9^th CLMV Summit, themed “For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity”, the leaders of the four member states affirmed their determination to bolster collaboration in order to tap their economic potential, making contributions to the development of the ASEAN bloc and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the region.

They expressed their hope that the close cooperation would help the CLMV countries to overcome formidable challenges and grasp new development opportunities.

The summit lauded the efforts made by the member states in enhancing transport connections, facilitating trade and investment, and developing human resources. The leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar thanked the Vietnamese Government for granting scholarships and practical training courses for their citizens.

The leaders reached a consensus on fortifying the multi-faceted connectivity among the four economies to realise the CLMV’s targets.

On transportation, the four nations will work to build missing roads in their transport connectivity, upgrade sections in the North-South Economic Corridor, the East-West Economic Corridor, and the South Economic Corridor, accelerate the construction of the Vientiane-Hanoi expressway, and study the feasibility of a road running through Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

On the trade, investment and industrial cooperation, they will carry out their existing agreements, organise trade and investment promotion activities, stimulate border trade and the development of e-commerce, slash trade barriers through the harmonisation of standards, branch out special economic and industrial zones, build mechanisms to support small and medium-sized enterprises, and share experience in industrial development.

In a bid to push tourism development, the Action Plan on tourism cooperation during 2016-2018 will be fully implemented. The four nations will create favourable conditions for travel associations to attend regional tourism events, as well as encouraging public-private partnerships in tourism and fostering aviation connectivity.

The four member nations will continue the CLMV scholarship programme financed by the Vietnamese Government during 2016-2020, and study to set up a database on labour market demand and vocational training programmes.

In agricultural cooperation, the countries will work to improve productivity, persify agricultural products, and connect farm produce with consumption markets via value chains. They will also expand their ties in fisheries and forestry, share good practices and promote sustainable agricultural production.

Regarding the energy sector, they will join hand for the study of the development of new, clean and renewable energy sources, and the sustainable management and use of natural resources, including water resources, while encouraging the harmonisation of electrical technical standards, and pushing forward the building of common mechanisms for electricity transmission pricing.

The countries will share knowledge and experience in building policies and regulations on developing the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, promoting ICT connectivity among them, expand their cooperation in cyber security, and facilitate conditions for ICT enterprises.

Leaders at the summit assigned their senior officials to study measures to streamline the CLMV operational mechanism and better combine CLMV cooperation with other Mekong cooperation mechanisms.

They called for more a proactive involvement of the business sector and development partners in CLMV projects.

At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the CLMV 9 and agreed that Laos will be host of the CLMV 10.

The same day, PM Phuc and the heads of delegations of members of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) had a working lunch with the CEOs of a number of businesses in the region. Vietnamese enterprises present at the function were BRG, T&T, FPT, Vietjet and Hop Luc corporations./.

VNF/VNA