The seventh Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) issued a joint statement and a MGC Action Plan for 2016-2018 in Vientiane, Laos on July 24.
Vientiane (VNA) – The seventh Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) issued a joint statement and a MGC Action Plan for 2016-2018 in Vientiane, Laos ❀on July 24.
The event was organised on the sidelines of the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM 49) in Vientiane, Laos under the chair of host Foreign Minister Saleumxay Komasith.
The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
During the meeting, the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and India’s Minister of State for External Affairs reviewed the outcomes of the MGC cooperation since 2012, with the highlights being the establishment of the Asian Traditional Textiles Museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and the MGC scholarship programme which has granted more than 900 scholarships to students from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
In addition, the MGC Quick Impact Projects Fund has to date financed 20 projects in the four Mekong nations, including five in Vietnam, worth a total of 250,000 USD.
For the time ahead, the delegates agreed to boost their partnership in culture, tourism, education, health care, Mekong-India connectivity, agriculture, and human resource training.
The two sides also planned to provide support to their small- and medium-sized enterprises through setting up working groups and holding personnel training joint tourism promotion programmes geared towards Mekong countries’ needs and regional situation.
India pledged to continue contributing one million USD per year to the MGC Quick Impact Projects Fund for the four Mekong nations.
The conference also agreed to hold the eighth MGC Foreign Ministerial Meeting in the Philippines in 2017 on the sidelines of the AMM 50.-VNA
Vietnam and India on November 20 issued a Joint Statement on the occasion of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong’s State visit to India.
The 49 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49) opened in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, on July 24 under the chair of Laos, the rotary Chair of the ASEAN this year.
The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49) took place in Laos’s capital city of Vientiane on July 24 with the participation of 10 Foreign Ministers from ASEAN member countries.
The DES Ministry will seek cooperation from social media platforms to prevent the spread of fake news and monitor accounts related to such activities, he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the newly established Anti-Fake News Centre (AFNC).
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking identified the US tariff reduction as a significant driver behind the improved economic outlook for Thailand.
Financial institutions and financial technology (fintech) players are intensifying their focus on expanding across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adopting tailored strategies to strengthen their presence in the region’s digital financial services landscape.
Featuring a permanent exhibition area, the ASEAN Hall will function both as a cultural showcase and as a dynamic venue for ASEAN-related events and programmes. Its inauguration on ASEAN Day added symbolic weight, marking a fresh milestone in ASEAN–RoK relations.
Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce and rice exporters are devising strategic plans to boost rice exports amid global market fluctuations, focusing on key markets and adjusting output.
The focus of the upcoming ASEAN Summit in October will be on strengthening economic relations through intra-regional trade and investment, as well as regional initiatives on energy networks and connectivity.
Indonesian Ambassador Rina P. Soemarno, who currently serves as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague, emphasised the spirit of regional solidarity and cooperation, and the importance of enhancing ASEAN–Czech Republic relations.
The Indonesian Government is determined to seize opportunities to enhance the competitiveness of national agricultural products, an official has said, adding that it always strives to promote exports at the highest possible level, based on a mutually beneficial foundation.
Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira has outlined a six-point strategy to promote innovation, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and push for Thailand's removal from the US Trade Representative (USTR)’s special 301 Watch List regarding intellectual property rights protection among trading partners.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung emphasised ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), highlighting its significant contribution to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
The consumer index of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), fell to 51.7 in July from 52.7 in the previous month. The sluggish economy and the trade war, as well as high living costs, continue to undermine confidence, the university said.
Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The partially built high-rise, meant to house the State Audit Office (SAO), was the only building in Thailand to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers.
Indonesia’s waste generation is projected to exceed 50 million tonnes in 2025. Of the total, more than 20 million tonnes could potentially enter the ocean through rivers, coastal areas, small islands, ports, and marine activities, and thereby, pose a risk to coastal ecosystems and marine biota.
Indonesia is accelerating plans to increase lithium imports, particularly from Australia, in a bid to fill gaps in the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain and realise its ambition of becoming a global EV manufacturing hub.
Malaysia’s gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) reached 1.01% of gross domestic product in 2022, a notable increase, with more than 51% contributed by the industry sector. The country is targeting GERD to reach 2.5% by 2030, in line with the national goal of transforming into a high-technology nation.
The facility was established in response to a growing shift in the Filipino labour force from the Middle East to Japan, where workers are seeking safer working environments.
In the latest Indonesia-US trade agreement in July, the US administration agreed to reduce the reciprocal tariff, which was initially set at 32% by US President Donald Trump last April, to 19%.
Real estate agency ERA Singapore estimated that there are 2,703 condo developments in Singapore today, of which 836 or 31% are at least 30 years old. In 10 years, this number is expected to climb to 1,160, assuming none is sold en bloc.
Delegates at the meeting (Source: VNA)
