Phnom Penh (FN), Jun. 9 – Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn spoke highly of China’s commitment and its leading role in providing important medicines, medical supplies and millions of doses of COVID19 vaccines in a timely manner to the Mekong countries, addressing at the 6th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 8 June 2021.
He stressed that the MLC must continue to show solidarity in addressing this global health crisis and attach high priority to ensure adequate access to vaccines and medications as global public goods, according to a press release dated 9 June 2021.
The Ministers commended the MLC countries for working together to fight the COVID19 pandemic. They called for strengthening the joint cooperation on important medical supplies and vaccines, sharing experience on outbreak response, and fully utilizing the MLC Special Fund for Public Health for addressing the current and future pandemic.
Minister Prak Sokhonn underlined the need to further enhance agricultural cooperation and recalled the 3rd MLC Leaders’ Meeting last year when Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his support to Premier Li Keqiang’s proposal to import more quality agro-products and livestock from Mekong countries, which recently saw the export of fresh mangoes from Camboida to China, in addition to existing shipment of other fruits and agricultural products.
He also expressed Cambodia’s support to the joint study on the Changing Pattern of Hydrological Conditions of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin and Adaption Strategies, which is being conducted by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat and the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center.
Finally, the minister highlighted the significance and the complementing role of the MLC with other sub-regional mechanisms including ACMECS and Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), and underscored the dynamism and potential of this cooperation to foster structural transformation in building resilience to promote quality of growth, as well as enhancing regional economic cooperation among and within the ASEAN member states.
The Meeting concluded with the adoption of the (1) Initiative on Deepenig Cooperation among Local Governments of Langcang-Mekongn Countries (2) Joint Statement on Enhancing Sustainable Development Cooperation Langcang-Mekongn Countries and (3) Joint Statement on Deepening Cooperation on Traditional Medicine within the Framework of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.
The 6th MLC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which was held under the theme “Solidarity against the COVID-19, Joint Efforts for Post-Pandemic Development”, was co-chaired by Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and U Wunna Maung Lwin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, with the participation of Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam.
=FRESH NEWS
