PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrives in Cambodia for Mekong-Lancang summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was welcomed at Phnom Penh International Airport (Source: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrived in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh International Airport at noon on January 10, beginning activities within the framework of the second Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders’ Meeting.

He was welcomed by Cambodia’s Tourism Minister Thong Khon, Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Prak Nguon Hong and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, among others.

The PM then came to the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh where he is scheduled to meet his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

In the afternoon, he will take part in the plenary of the second MLC summit, and have meetings with other delegation heads.

The MLC is a sub-regional cooperation mechanism that was jointly established in 2016 by six countries along the Mekong River, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The biennial event is organised in rotation among the member countries. This year’s summit is co-organised by Cambodia and China. 

The first summit was convened on March 23, 2016, mapping out orientations for the cooperation mechanism, which is promoting comprehensive connection to build a responsible community and common benefit in the Mekong sub-region. 

It also aims to consolidate mutual trust and understanding, maintain peace and stability, boost sustainable development, reduce poverty, narrow the development gap, integrate comprehensively into regional and global economies, and strengthen the friendship and neighbourliness among the countries. 

With the theme “Our River of Peace and Sustainable Development”, the second summit will review cooperation among the countries over the last two years, discuss future cooperation orientations, and hear reports from working groups.

The member countries are expected to approve the Phnom Penh Declaration and the five-year Action Plan for Mekong-Lancang cooperation in 2018-2022.

VNA