Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will attend the second Mekong-LancangCooperation (MLC) Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on January 10, at theinvitation of his Cambodian counterpart HunSen.
The biennial event is organised in rotation among member countries.
The first summit was convened on March 23, 2016, mapping out orientations forthe cooperation mechanism, which is promoting comprehensive connection to builda responsible community and common benefit in the Mekong sub-region.
It also aims to improve mutual trust and understanding for maintaining peaceand stability; foster sustainable development, poverty reduction; narrow the developmentgap and boost comprehensive integration into regional and global economies;strengthen the friendship among the countries.
The member countries will work together to enhance cooperation in three pillarsof politics-security; economy and sustainable development; culture-society andpeople-to-people exchange in the principles of equality, coordination, mutual consultation,voluntariness, contribution, benefit sharing, and respect for the UnitedNations Charter and international law.
Cooperation within the summit will focus on priority fields of water resourcesmanagement; connectivity; production capacity collaboration; cross-bordereconomic cooperation; agriculture and poverty reduction.
So far, a number of working groups related to water resources, povertyreduction, connectivity, and production capacity collaboration.
Projects approved at the first Summit have been implemented, while theMekong-Lancang Special Cooperation Fund was put into operation.
At the first event of this kind, VietnameseDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the cooperationmechanism could pay an important role in promoting sustainable development inthe Mekong-sub region, strengthening relations among six countries, supportingthe countries in implementing the UN Agenda 2030 and deepening the ASEAN-ChinaStrategic Partnership.
To fully tap potential and new cooperation mechanisms, it is necessary tosustainably use the Mekong River’s water resources in the context of seriousdroughts and salt intrusion in the lower course of the Mekong River.
At the second Summit, the member countries are expected to approvethe Phnom Penh Declarationand the five-year Action Plan for Mekong-Lancang cooperation in 2018-2022.
With the theme “"Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development”, the summitwill review cooperation among the countries over the last two years, discuss futurecooperation orientations, and hear reports from working groups.-VNA