Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian PMs review trilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 13 held a meeting with his Lao and Cambodian counterparts, Thongloun Sisoulith and Hun Sen, on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines.

Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) and his Lao and Cambodian counterparts Thongloun Sisoulith (L) and Hun Sen meet on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, on November 13. (Credit: VGP)
Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) and his Lao and Cambodian counterparts Thongloun Sisoulith (L) and Hun Sen meet on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, on November 13. (Credit: VGP)

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The leaders reviewed the outcomes from the implementation of agreements reached at the 9th Summit of Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-9) in Siem Reap in November last year.

They agreed to boost connectivity among the three economies, including transport and energy connectivity, open more pairs of border gates, and develop rubber and tourism industries.

Other spheres of trilateral cooperation include environmental protection, management and sustainable use of natural resources, climate change adaptation and management of water sources, and mobilisation of capital, particularly from development partners and business communities.

The PMs stressed the need to incorporate CLV projects into cooperation programmes in the Mekong sub-region, the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) cooperation mechanism, and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).

They exchanged experiences in promoting cooperation concerning regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed to work with other ASEAN member states for the success of the summit and the development of the ASEAN Community.