Laos - Laos appreciates Mekong-Japan cooperation

Laos attaches great importance to Mekong-Japan cooperation, particularly in the area of infrastructure and human resource development, which contribute to the socio-economic development of Laos.

Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong attended the 4th Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, which was chaired by Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda.

Other leaders from the Mekong nations in attendance included Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

At the conference, Japan pledged to provide overseas development assistance of 600 billion Japanese yen (US$7.37 billion) to the Mekong countries for the period from 2013-2015. Thailand pledged an additional 883 million Japanese yen (US$10 million) to complement the Japanese assistance.

During the meeting, Japanese and Mekong leaders appreciated the progress made in cooperation between Japan and the Mekong nations, particularly the implementation of the Tokyo Declaration which was approved at the 1st Mekong-Japan Summit in 2009.

During the summit, leaders from the Mekong nations and Japan discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest. To this end, they signed off on the Tokyo Strategy, which replaces the previous Tokyo Declaration in setting out future cooperation efforts.

The strategy defines three priority tasks: enhancing connectivity in the Mekong region, promoting trade and investment, and cooperation on issues of public security and mutual environmental concern.

It aims to create a foundation for partnership and mutual prosperity between the Mekong nations and Japan, and for disclosing development disparities within Asean in preparation for the establishment of the Asean Community in 2015.

The summit participants assigned their respective ministers to come up with a new action programme for 2012-15 in terms of implementing the Tokyo Strategy and agreed to hold the next summit in 2013.The Mekong leaders thanked the Japanese government and people for assisting development in the Mekong region in the years past.

Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong joined his co unterparts from Japan and the other Mekong countries at a tea party with Japanese Emperor Akihito, Crown Prince Naruhito and his younger brother Prince Akishino.

Thongsing also met the new president of JICA, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, as well as Japanese entrepreneurs who have businesses interests in Laos.

The 1st Mekong-Japan Summit was held in Tokyo in 2009 and has been held annually since, with the second taking place in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the third in Bali, Indonesia.

News Desk

Vientiane Times

Business & Investment Opportunities 
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com

Dear Reader,

May I invite you to visit our new blog: IIMS-Asean http://iims-asean.blogspot.com/

News and activities of the International Institute of Medicine and Science Asean Chapter of IIMS, Inc. California, USA - Health care, Life Science, Education, Research, Philanthropy. Asean is the economic organisation of ten countries located in South East Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. IIMS is a non-profit organization.