Viet Nam has voiced support for Japan’s direct participation in the Mekong sub-region cooperation, saying that the East Asian country’s effective assistance has contributed to boosting economic development and poverty reduction in the region.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem made the statement on January 16 while addressing the Mekong-Japan Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo.
Deputy PM Khiem also proposed that Japan consider assisting projects in the area of afforestation which help both environmental protection and the tapping of natural resources in the sub-region alongside projects in socio-economic development.
The meeting, the first of its kind held at the initiative of Japan , was attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Foreign Ministers of five Mekong sub-region countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The participants at the meeting took note of Viet Nam’s proposal to set up a transportation and logistics service training centre in Viet Nam to provide training in the area for all countries in the sub-region and agreed that Viet Nam ’s Institute of Hygiene and E pidemiology will be upgraded to an infectious disease prevention centre of the sub-region.
According to outcomes of the meeting, Japan will invite 10,000 young people from the Mekong sub-region to the country for studying and meeting with their Japanese peers under the Japan-East Asia exchange programme.
The meeting selected 2009 as the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year and supported Japan in organising the Mekong Festival in 2009 as well as Viet Nam ’s hosting of the Mekong-Japan Tourism-Culture Days.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Komura signed with his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam a memorandum of understanding to approve a list of projects which will use Japan’s aid of US$20 million .
He also signed with his Lao and Cambodian counterparts bilateral agreements on investment protection and encouragement.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Deputy PM Khiem had a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Komura during which they agreed to accelerate the negotiations between the two countries to reach an economic partnership agreement.
They also discussed the implementation of three major projects in Viet Nam , namely the North-South express highway and railway and the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park. Komura said Japan will consider assisting Viet Nam in the improvement of traffic in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.
