(VOVworld) – The 2nd Summit of the Mekong River Commission opened in Ho Chi Minh city on Saturday.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hunsen, the Special Envoy of Thailand’s Prime Minister, the Chinese Minister of Water Resources, and the Foreign Minister of Myanmar attended the opening ceremony. Themed "Water, Energy and Food Security in the Context of Climate Change for the Mekong River Basin", the summit will review the implementation of the Hua Hin Statement in 2010 and discuss opportunities and challenges for the Mekong river basin and the role of the Mekong River Commission in the new phase of development. Topics for discussion will also include ways to strengthen regional cooperation for the sustainable use and development of the Mekong river in the context of climate change and increased demand for resources.
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In his opening speech, Prime Minister Dung said countries along the river and at upstream and downstream areas should increase cooperation through multilateral and sub-regional mechanisms such as the Mekong River Commission. He called for full implementation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement and regulations of the Mekong River Commission on fair and appropriate use of water resources. He said that the Commission 2016-2020 Strategic Plan should take into account new approaches to the links between water, energy and food in basin development plans, improve the Commission’s research and forecasting capability, and increase its coordinating and supervisory role in implementing member countries’ commitments to the management, use and protection of common water resources for the region’s sustainable development.
Prime Minister Dung also presented the “Ho Chi Minh Statement”, which reiterates commitments made in Hua Hin and sets new orientations for the development of the Mekong River Commission in the new era.