Enhancing Lower Mekong-US cooperation

The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) working group convened its fourth meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25.
The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) working group convened its fourth meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25.

VietnameseDeputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, US Deputy AssistantSecretary of State Michael Fuchs, US Ambassador to ASEAN David Cardenand nearly 100 delegates from LMI’s member countries (Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the US) and the group’spartners attended the event.

The two-day meeting aims toreview LMI activities since the third meeting in Phuket, Thailand fromSeptember 27-28, 2012, realise cooperation programmes and prepare forthe sixth LMI Ministerial Meeting scheduled for June in Brunei.

Inhis opening speech, Deputy FM Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated LMI’sachievements over the past four years, as well as the Mekong countriesand the US for promoting cooperation.

He askedthe LMI working group to focus on implementing activities approved atthe LMI Ministerial Meetings while enhancing links between LMI and ASEANas well as other subregion cooperation mechanisms, including CLV, CLMVand ACMECS.

On the first day of the meeting, participantsdiscussed measures to improve LMI’s role both in the Mekong region andSoutheast Asia, LMI’s connection to ASEAN goals, how to set up a LMIcoordinating network in the region and increase Friends of LowerMekong’s participation in LMI activities.

LMI was set upin 2009. Its six pillars include environment and water, healthcare,education, connectivity, agriculture and food, and energy security.-VNA

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