Foreign ministers from five Mekong countries welcomed US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton's announcement Friday of US$50 million in new aid to the
Mekong region.
The announcement came during
talks with ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and, for the first
time, Myanmar, previously excluded from America's Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI)
launched by Clinton three years ago.
According to a statement by
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, "ministers welcomed Secretary
Clinton's announcement of the Asia-Pacific Strategic initiative."
The statement noted that the
initiative was "designed to deepen and sustain engagement in the Asia-Pacific
that includes $50 million in new US programs supporting the LMI over a
three-year period."
Myanmar's inclusion in the group
is now in line with groupings of Mekong countries with Japan and South Korea
and follows this week's move by the United States to allow American companies
to invest in Myanmar.
At a separate of foreign
ministers Thursday, the United States, Japan and South Korea resolved to focus
on the Mekong region as they work together to promote aid effectiveness.
"The ministers resolved to coordinate
to promote the effectiveness of development assistance around the world, with a
particular focus on the Mekong region via the Friends of the Lower Mekong
framework," a joint statement said.
The statement followed trilateral
talks between Clinton, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichuro Gemba and South
Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.
The Japanese and South Korean
ministers held separate talks earlier in the week with the five Mekong
countries.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment