Senior officials of Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) and Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) discuss preparatory drafts to be submitted to the 6th CLMV and the 5th ACMECS Summits, scheduled for March 12-13 in Laos ’s capital Vientiane .

According to KPL, the meetings in Vientiane on March 11 looked at future cooperation and reviewed the outcomes of previous cooperation projects in the nine prioritised frameworks of CLMV cooperation plans and eight cooperation frameworks of the ACMECS.

They highly valued the progress in the implementation of cooperation projects in human resources development, road and rail connectivity, the opening and upgrading of international border checkpoints and development projects funded by Japan and other development partners.

Participants sought ways to attract and mobilise investment and assistance from development partners and business community to implement prioritised cooperation projects.

They agreed that creating more favourable conditions was needed to encourage the growth in trade, investment and tourism by implementing a single window inspection mechanism at border checkpoints among CLMV and reducing the development gap between them and other ASEAN member countries to prepare for effective integration into the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.

CLMV are currently focusing their cooperation on nine spheres including trade and investment, agriculture, industry and energy, transport, information communication technology, tourism, human resources development and health.

There are eight prioritised cooperation sectors for ACMECS including trade and investment facilitation, agriculture, industry and energy, transit transport, tourism, human resources development, health and environment.

The Vientiane Declaration of the 5th ACMECS and ACMECS Action Plan for 2013-2015 are expected to be approved on this occasion.

ACMECS was established in 2003 in Myanmar . It consists of Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA