Myanmar affirms commitment to achieve ACMECS objectives

By Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has affirmed its commitment to join hands with fellow members of the Ayeyawaddy- Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (c) to realize the action plans of the grouping.

It was pledged by Myanmar Vice President Sai Mauk Kham at the 5th summit of the ACMECS in Vientiane, Laos which ended on Wednesday.

The five-member ACMECS countries comprise Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

There are eight sectors that ACMECS is cooperating, namely trade and investment, agriculture, industry and energy, transportation, tourist, human resources development, public health and environmental conservation.

The 5th ACMECS summit adopted the Vientiane Declaration and ACMECS action plan for 2013-15 and approved Myanmar as the next venue for holding the next summit which Myanmar assured of taking concrete step for its successful holding.

Participants vowed to double the efforts of member countries individually and collectively for the sake of ACMECS nations and their people.

The Vientiane summit reviewed cooperation process among the five ACMECS countries approved at the previous summit and the regional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the targets of the 2003 Bagan Declaration for the sake of good neighborliness, peace, stability and sustainable development in the region.

The summit also reviewed the implementation of the Phnom Penh Declaration in November 2010 and the 2010-12 action plans.

A dialogue between ACMECS leaders and business sector also took place in Vientiane touching on future work plan of ACMECS businessmen meeting.

In November 2003, the original four countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, which share border with each other, held their first ACMECS summit in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan, laying down ACMECS program which provides for cooperation in five main strategic areas of agriculture, industry, trade and investment, transport, tourist and human resources development.

Vietnam joined the ACMECS in 2004.

In May 2007, ACMECS foreign ministers met in Myanmar's Mandalay and pledged to work for greater competitiveness, narrower economic disparity and promoting socio-economic development in the subregion.

Calling for realization of their 2003 Bagan Declaration efficiently and effectively, the foreign ministers also expressed their desire to strengthen the aims and objectives of the declaration and work for attaining prosperity in the subregion through enhanced solidarity, mutual respect, goods neighborliness and active cooperation among the member countries.

The 5th ACMECS summit was held along with the 6th Cambodia-Laos- Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Summit in the Lao capital.

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