On 12 March 2013, Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, led a group of Vietnamese high ranking delegates to Vientiane capital for attending the regional summits held in Laos.

The regional summits held in Laos this time include the 6th summit of cooperation between Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV); the 5th summit of economic strategic cooperation, Ayeyawadi – Chaophraya – Mekong (ACMECS); the 7th summit of development triangle, Cambodia-Lao-Vietnam (CLV). 

The participation of summits includes delegations from countries in South East Asia; those from ASEAN members are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. These were important forums for delegations of the border-sharing countries to discuss direction and method in order to strengthen development cooperation, especially on trade and investment. And importantly, the discussion aims to connect infrastructure, strengthen regional and internal connection, develop human resources; promote development in least developed areas of each country and then narrow the development gap. The participation as well as cooperation regulations have further certified and enhanced Vietnam’s role in Mekong regional cooperation. 

In the afternoon of the same day, at Vientiane capital, the 7th CLV summit was officially opened with the participation of prime ministers from 03 countries - Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung was the chairman of the summit.

The summit was held on a background of that the relations between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia has been consolidated and comprehensively developed. Cooperation among 13 provinces of the three countries in CLV development triangle gained significant achievements, especially in deployment of the entire plan on social economic developing triangle until 2020 which has been passed in 2010 by the leaders. The provinces dominated by the triangle have respectively reserved a high economic growth rate compared to the average growth rate of each country; their economic structures have been changed and driven with a positive direction; infrastructures have been gradually improved and perfected; activities of economic, trading, educational, etc. cooperation have achieved satisfactory results.

At the summit, the leaders focused on examining the deployment of agreements reached at the 6th summit and also proposed a direction to boost the cooperation between the 03 countries in the development triangle for the next coming years.

Giving a speech at the opening ceremony, Prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, stressed that the summit had been conducted on a background of that cooperation among Mekong Sub-region in general and between the 03 countries in particular has gradually become effervescent (energetic) and attractive to external partners. Cooperation of CLV development triangle has been empowered continuously and achieved significant results on political security and social economy. Moreover, the cooperation has significantly contributed to the improvement of people’s living, and reinforced cooperation between the border-sharing provinces. In order to reach higher efficiency in cooperation, suite with potentials of the region and fine traditional relation, the Prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, suggested the three prime ministers should take strong moves, and be more determined, especially should together discuss, offer guiding suggestions to Organizational Coordinating Committee for having considered and deployed any useful methods in order to improve manufacture capacity, competitiveness, and the capacity of investment and assistance attraction from outside of 13 provinces in the region. 

 At the summit, Vietnamese Prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, together with Cambodian Prime minister and Lao Prime minister drew some directions of development for CLV development triangle, for instance, linking the realization of “the entire social-economic development project in the triangle up to 2020” with development project of each country and action program of present cooperative organizations in Mekong sub-region and ASEAN in order to make use of human resources, avoid duplication and wasting. The central and local administrative authorities of the 03 countries should pay more attention at the implementation deployment of “the memorandum of amendment on special prioritized policy creation for CLV development triangle”, etc.

Beside the development of hard infrastructure, it is particularly necessary to pay attention at the development of soft infrastructure and human resources; meanwhile, economic development must go along with ecological and environmental protection, and proper natural resources exploration in order to guarantee sustainable development of each country and the whole development triangle.  

  Leaders of the three governments have emphasized six main points which the Coordinating Committee has to focus on in the next periods of time such as (1) actively look for new sources of finance and (2) creatively and efficiently deploy investment promoting activities at local, national and international levels, (3) connect any prioritized projects of the development triangle with any action programs among Mekong sub-region and ASEAN, (4) seriously and urgently implement any prioritized policies for the development triangle, (5) promptly construct and reach an agreement on this issue among the 03 countries, (6) concentrate on development of high qualified labor force to serve investment projects in the region.

In the end of the summit, Vietnamese Prime minister, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, together with Cambodian Prime minister, Mr. Hun Sen, and Lao Prime minister, Mr. Thongsing Thammavong, signed a unique summit announcement certifying the vow of the three governments, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in improving  the quality of people’s life in 13 provinces dominated by the development triangle, in bringing into play the tremendous potentials of this important area, and in changing CLV development triangle to become a symbolic example of success of the regional cooperation.    

                                                                           Information source: (VTV.VN)