Countries move to narrow gap between ASEAN members

12:43 13/01/2007

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, on Jan 12, underlined the significance of the organisation of the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) summit, saying that the meeting demonstrated their determination to narrow the development gap between them and other ASEAN members.

The PM made the statement during the CLMV Summit held on the sidelines of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which is currently being staged in Cebu, the Philippines.PM Dung proposed that the four countries establish a joint co-ordination mechanism and diversify their forms of cooperation, with attention being paid to areas of trade, electricity, mining, rubber and coffee planting.

The PM expressed his wish for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to work closely with Vietnam to successfully organise the 2nd ASEAN Integration Development Cooperation Forum (IDCF). During the CLMV Summit, the Cambodian, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnamese leaders agreed upon 31 measures for their 2006 action plan, which is aimed at helping them to make full use of their potential and advantages.

They approved a joint statement and decided to hold their next summit in Vietnam late this year. The same day, Deputy PM-cum-Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem attended the Ministerial Meeting of CLMV and Japan during which participants discussed measures to enhance friendship and cooperation, particularly in the area of economic-trade.

Japan announced aid of US$52mil to help accelerate economic cooperation with ASEAN member countries. It also said it would provide US$40mil for CLMV, US$20mil of which is allocated to the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle. Japan recommended organising the Ministerial Meeting between Japan and five Mekong sub-region countries in 2007 in Tokyo in order to increase dialogue and cooperation.

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia proposed that Japan continue to support the Development Triangle area, and particularly consider financing the 12 infrastructure projects that they had presented Japan at the first summit of CLV and Japan in November, 2004 in Vientiane.

(Source: VNA)