(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s Prime Minister made several important proposals for cooperation in the Mekong River region at the sixth Mekong-Japan Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on Wednesday.
PM Nguyen Tan Dung urged the Japanese government to support a feasibility study for new multimodal transportation routes linking the Southern Economic Corridor and the East-West Economic Corridor with the Indian subcontinent and South Asia.
He emphasised the need to combine economic development with environmental protection, and called for more assistance from Japan to the Mekong River Commission, especially in conducting studies on the sustainable management and use of Mekong water resources, including assessment of impacts of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong’s main stream. PM Nguyen Tan Dung noted that Mekong-Japan collaboration should be extended to businesses and localities, naming agriculture, aquaculture, and logistics as potential fields for partnership at local levels.
The 6th Mekong-Japan Summit was attended by Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Japan. In a joint statement, participants agreed to strengthen Mekong regional connectivity to serve the building of an ASEAN Community by 2015 with attention paid to developing economic corridors and new roads linking the Mekong sub-region with the Indian subcontinent. They reached a consensus on building a “Mekong Industry Development Vision” to facilitate business activities between the Mekong sub-region and Japan.
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attends the 6th Mekong-Japan Summit. (Photo: VGP) |
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister attended ASEAN Summits with India, Japan, and the UN, and a summit to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ASEAN–Australia partnership. State leaders stressed the East Sea’s importance to regional peace, security, and maritime safety and freedom, and called on concerned parties to settle all disputes peacefully, comply with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and quickly adopt the Code of Conduct in the East Sea. Dung highlighted partners’ support for ASEAN’s stance and principles.
On the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN Summit, Nguyen Tan Dung met with the Russian and Australian Prime Ministers. He and Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev both agreed to boost bilateral trade to 10 billion USD and guide relevant agencies to fulfill agreements to be signed during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s upcoming visit to Russia. Medvedev agreed with the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN to address disputes peacefully under international law.
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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung meets with Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev.
(Photo: VNA) |
During his meeting with Australian PM Tony Abbott, Nguyen Tan Dung called on Australia to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese exports and more scholarships for Vietnamese students. He applauded Australia’s official development assistance to Vietnam, saying Vietnam is keen to receive more Australian support for sustainable socio-economic development and climate change response.