The event gathered over 60 delegates from the National Defence and Security Committee of the Lao NA; the Commission on the Interior, National Defence and Civil Service Administration of the Cambodian NA; and the Vietnamese NA’s Committee for National Defence and Security; alongside others representing a number of provinces in the development triangle area.
In his remarks, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA Do Ba Ty hailed the development triangle area as being of special significance to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, noting that the parliaments of the three countries had been encouraging and supporting the three governments in building as well as boosting economic development and poverty reduction in the area.
He suggested the conference focus on discussing matters, sharing experience and proposing benefits for the Development Triangle Area, thereby building an area of peace, friendship and co-operation on development, contributing to the growth of each country, as well as to the construction of an ever-stronger ASEAN Community.
The conference heard reports on the socioeconomic, defence, security and foreign affairs performance of the Triangle Area’s provinces over the past few years, as well as on the outcome of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the three committees at the second meeting, in Laos’s Champasak Province last September.
Through discussion, deputies reached consensus on many important issues, including the timely exchange of information in order to direct the authorised agencies of each nation to deal with issues relating to national defence, security and crime prevention and control in border areas, aiming to contribute to building, protecting and preserving the traditional solidarity and friendship between the three countries on the principle of respecting mutual independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The three sides agreed to actively back the efforts of the three governments in accelerating border demarcation and marker planting works, thereby building borderlines of peace, friendship, stability and co-operation on development.
The conference also reached consensus on a common voice between the three NAs towards the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and the ASEAN Community on the sustainable management, exploitation and use of transnational water sources, including the Mekong River, aiming to protect the water sources and contribute to the sustainable development of the ASEAN Community and each member country.
It was also agreed that the meeting would be held alternately every two years from then on, with the fourth gathering to be hosted in Cambodia in 2018.
