Associate members have all rights fullmembers do, bar the right to vote and the responsibility to pay annualmembership fees, he said.
He expressed his hope that by participatingin the NEAR, Ho Chi Minh City will have more opportunities to promote itspotential to Northeast Asian localities and intensify international cooperationthrough NEAR forums and activities, especially trade and tourism promotionprogrammes.
Liem stressed that Ho Chi Minh City valuesinternational organisations and associations, considering them an effectivechannel for international cooperation.
He pledged to assign relevant offices tostudy this invitation and reply to the association soon.
NEAR is an international organisationfounded by 29 regional governments from four Northeast Asian countries,including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Russian in September1996 in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, the RoK.
It has grown into a local diplomacy andcooperation organisation representing Northeast Asia with 77 member regionalgovernments from six countries.-VNA
