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In the spirit of friendly neighbourliness and
reliable partnership, Viet Nam wants to make positive contributions to the
Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS) framework.
Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement at the opening of the 4th ACMECS
Summit in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh yesterday, Nov 17. Since
its inception in 2003, ACMECS co-operation had reaped a wide range of
encouraging results and supplemented other co-operation frameworks that were
being implemented in the Mekong sub-region and Southeast Asia, he said. Dung
said the ACMECS co-operation mechanism had been constantly strengthened and
expanded but many areas of potential co-operation had yet to be fully tapped.
Following the opening ceremony, Dung empowered Minister of Planning and
Investment Vo Hong Phuc to attend the debate session and related activities.
The 4th
ACMECS Summit reviewed co-operation activities implemented since the 3rd summit
and put forward directions and measures to make ACMECS co-operation more
practical in the years to come.
Attendees applauded efforts by member nations to establish a new co-operation
mechanism on the environment and its establishment of a Working Group on
Environmental Co-operation, which is co-chaired by Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The
summit adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration and the ACMECS Plan of Action for the
2010-12 period, affirming the resolve to step up ACMECS co-operation for peace,
stability and prosperity in the sub-region. Delegates agreed to hold the 5th
ACMECS Summit in Laos in 2012. An
ACMECS Business Forum was held on the sidelines of the summit, drawing the
participation of more than 350 companies from the member nations, including
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. Business
representatives explored investment and co-operation opportunities, and
recommended solutions to improve the investment environments in ACMECS
countries. They also held a dialogue with high-ranking leaders of the member
nations. Later in
the day, Dung and his entourage left Phnom Penh, wrapping up their official
visit to Cambodia which included attending the 6th Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam
Summit, the 5th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam Summit and the 4th ACMECS.
Development push
A
one-day summit between the leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam (CLV) on
Tuesday agreed to push harder for a border development triangle that was
politically stable and economically dynamic.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his two counterparts revised the
planning framework for the triangle, which is made up of 13 border provinces.
The
leaders also signed an agreement on preferential policies for the special area.
However, Dung admitted that the triangle had failed to turn around
socio-economic development. He said
infrastructure… development remained slow and that there were insufficient
human resources to carry out projects. Dung
called on the three governments to pay special attention to the plan and give
higher priority to regional development. The
initiative for an Indochina development triangle was raised at a summit in
Vientiane, Laos, in October, 1999. It was aimed at strengthening solidarity and
co-operation in socio-economic development and maintaining stability and
security along borders between the three countries. The
triangle area initially consisted of 10 border provinces. Three more were
admitted at the fourth meeting of the Joint Co-ordination Committee in 2009. The
Vietnamese entourage, including leaders of ministries and industries, also met
the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia to discuss problems for
Vietnamese enterprises wanting to boost investment in the Angkor Wat area. The
association reported that Vietnamese investment in Cambodia during the past year
funded 60 projects capitalised at more than US$900 million. This was a four-fold
increase in projects and a six-fold increase in investment over the previous
year and makes Viet Nam third among foreign investors.
Investment is focused mainly on finance, banking, aviation, agriculture, energy
and mining.
Two-way
trade between Viet Nam and Cambodia is doing well. The recent inauguration of
Cambodia Angkor Air, a joint venture between the Cambodian government and
Vietnam Airlines, is also helping to boost tourism between the two countries.
VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News | 
