Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Specialists review Japan’s assistance to the Indochinese Triangle

Specialists review Japan’s assistance to Development Triangle

03/30/2010

VOV News (Hanoi)

The fourth specialists meeting between Japan and the development triangle of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CVL) took place in Hanoi on March 30 to review the implementation of Japan’s 20 million-dollar aid package to the region and discuss ways of further boosting bilateral cooperation.

The CVL initiative was put forward at a meeting between the premiers of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in 1999, with a view to strengthening unity and cooperation among these countries in socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

During the 10th ASEAN Summit in November 2004, the prime ministers from all three countries signed the Vientiane Declaration on building such a development triangle and approved a master plan, which covered areas such as transport, energy, trade, investment and training.

In the first CVL plus Japan summit in 1994, Japan agreed to consider assisting the CVL countries to develop the triangle and provide them with non-refundable aid for small projects in rural development and social welfare. In the third meeting of this kind, Japan pledged US$20 million in aid for the region.

In their second meeting in Phnom Penh in June 2007, specialists from CLV and Japan agreed on a roadmap for projects in the CLV countries that used capital from the $20 million package. Later in a meeting between Japan and ministers from the Mekong countries, Japan and CLV rectified a list of the priority projects to benefit from this aid package.

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