Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son proposes to strengthen Mekong-Ganga Cooperation

On July 21, at the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son attended the 11th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in an online format.

Attending the meeting were also the Foreign Ministers of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and India.

This conference marks 20 years of establishment and development of the MGC. The conference looked back on two decades of cooperation and discussed the opportunities and challenges that the region is facing, as well as directions for cooperation in the next period.

The Ministers highly appreciated the MGC's achievements in priority areas of cooperation (culture, tourism, education, public health, traditional medicine, water resource management, science and technology, transportation, information, capacity building and skill development).

Two-way trade value between India and Mekong River countries has increased 25 times, reaching US$25 billion in 2020. Traffic connection projects have been gradually expanded, especially direct flights connecting big cities within the MGC. In addition, hundreds of scholarships and training courses have been provided to help Mekong River countries develop human resources.

Cooperation in culture, heritage management and tourism has had many achievements, notably the Traditional Textiles Museum, and the Common Archival Resource Centre for History and Civilization of India – Southeast Asian.

The Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) were launched with 68 projects worth 3.4 million USD for the 2016-2020 period. India provided more than 2 billion USD in loans for projects in water resource development, connectivity, infrastructure construction, digitalization, rural electrification, irrigation, and education in the Mekong countries.

The Ministers welcomed the MGC's Action Plan for the 2019-2022 period, which has supplemented three new areas of cooperation, namely water resource management, science and technology, capacity improvement and skill development.

To improve cooperation efficiency in the coming time, the conference agreed that first, strengthening medical cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and control, especially research, production and distribution of vaccines and antibiotics; enhancing capacity building on disease prevention and control; and promoting cooperation in traditional medicine.

Second, post-pandemic economic recovery through promoting trade cooperation, transport connectivity, technological development, digital transformation, tourism, human resource development and training, as well as cultural exchanges; linking the MGC with regional connectivity initiatives.

Third, promoting cooperation in sustainable water resource management; agreeing to enhance technical cooperation in water resource management; exchanging experiences, information and practices; encouraging human resource development; and improving capacity in integrated management of water resources.

Addressing the conference, Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed Vietnam's commitment to the MGC mechanism, saying the member countries need to further tap into the potential of the Mekong - Ganga community in order for this cooperation mechanism to contribute to peace, prosperity and sustainable development of the region.

Accordingly, the Minister proposed strengthening health cooperation through research, production and distribution of vaccines; supplying antibiotics and medical supplies; and improving the quality of medical team as well as community-based medical system.

The Minister also suggested that the Mekong - Ganga community promote a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery through trade and investment facilitation, securing regional supply chains; maintain a stable business environment; and step up trade promotion programs and infrastructure connectivity.

Minister Son also said that countries should strengthen cooperation in science and technology; innovation; research and application of digital technology; improve digital skills; and develop digital infrastructure. Finally, it is imperative to prioritize cooperation in sustainable management of water resources and climate change adaptation through experience sharing and technology transfer, while improving capacity building for early forecasting and management of disasters; cooperating between the Mekong River Commission and the National Ganga River Basin Authority.

The Minister's speech was highly appreciated by the member countries, absorbed and reflected in the documents of the Conference.

At the end of the Conference, the countries adopted the Conference's Joint Statement and agreed to organize the 12th MGC Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in 2022.

Translated from source: https://baoquocte.vn/bo-truong-ngoai-giao-bui-thanh-son-de-xuat-tang-cuong-hop-tac-mekong-song-hang-152191.html