Laos has benefited considerably from cooperation with the five other countries under the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) frame, according to Lao deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.
Thongloun, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the National Organizing Committee for the GMS Summit, outlined the benefits of GMS recently in interview with the local media. He said under the frame Laos has earned more than 380 million U.S. dollars from the sale of electricity produced by the Theunhinboun and Namleuk hydropower plants.
Since 1992, when the six Mekong River countries, Laos, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, agreed to a joint economic development plan through the GMS to link the economies ofthe sub-region, cooperation has increased from just two sectors - transport and energy - to nine sectors today, he said.
Through GMS cooperation, many communication projects have been realized, such as Road No. 9 and the second Lao-Thai Mekong Friendship Bridge linking Savannakhet with Mukdahan province, Thailand.
A GMS border transportation treaty has been reached as well as an agreement between the governments of Laos, China and Thailand regarding financial funding for the third Lao-Thai Mekong Friendship Bridge linking Houayxai district, Bokeo province, with Xieng Khong district in Chiang Rai province, Thailand.
Thongloun highlighted the benefits to the tourism sector, pointing out that Laos has received a 10 million U.S. dollars loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop basic infrastructure for tourism.
He said the bank is offering another 10 million U.S. dollars as a grant to the Lao government for Phase II of the sustainable tourism development project to market the GMS as a single tourist destination.
The ADB also extended grant assistance to a project to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and bird flu. It also helped in training 300 Lao officials under the Phnom Penh Plan for development management.
The ADB has prepared loans and grants for various projects in the region from 2008-2010 totaling more than 364 million U.S. dollars, including more than 116 million U.S. dollars for Lao projects.
Regarding the objectives of the third GMS summit which will be held in Vientiane on March 30-31, the foreign minister said the summit aimed to reconfirm the views of GMS countries' leaders on linkage within the sub-region for harmony and prosperity. This will also reconfirm the unanimous decision-making of the GMS countries in promoting prosperity for the peoples of the region.
It is hoped the summit can reach concurrence on views concerning the increasing competitive ability to be gained through linkage expansion, which will be specified in a joint statement. The summit will also approve the Vientiane Action Plan 2008-2012.
Thongloun said the summit will focus on discussions and the exchange of views among the member countries' leaders on six main topics, one to be proposed by the prime minister of each country.
The GMS leaders will approve a joint statement as well as the Vientiane Action Plan. An official signing of both documents will take place for the first time and leaders will also witness various agreement ceremonies.
Source:Xinhua
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