Vietnam affirms its commitment to proactively contribute to promoting Mekong-Korea cooperation

On the afternoon of May 13, in Hanoi, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs to solemnly organize the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Senior Officials Meeting (MKC). Attending the meeting were SOM Heads of the six Mekong-Korea member countries, and representatives of the Mekong Institute - the intergovernmental organization coordinating the activities of the Mekong-Korea Foundation.

Báo Quốc Tế•13/05/2025

Thứ trưởng Ngoại giao Nguyễn Minh Hằng phát biểu tại hội nghị. (Ảnh: Thành Long)

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang speaks at the conference. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized the key role of MKC in narrowing the development gap and enhancing sub-regional economic integration. The Deputy Minister assessed that the MKC cooperation mechanism is one of the most dynamic and effective cooperation mechanisms in the Mekong sub-region with three distinctive features, including raising awareness of the regional and international community about the challenges of the Mekong sub-region; encouraging the proactive role of the private sector through the annual Business Forum; and turning vision into practical results with the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Fund with 61 projects worth 28 million USD.

The Deputy Minister proposed that in 2025, the Mekong countries should focus on promoting three major orientations. The first is to resume and organize the Mekong-Korea Summit to affirm high-level commitments. The second is to develop and approve the MKC Action Plan for the period of 2026 - 2030, considering prioritizing cooperation promotion in line with regional and global development trends such as digital transformation and innovation. The third is to enhance the operational efficiency of the MKCF and centers on water resources, biodiversity and forest protection through innovative activities, bringing practical benefits to the people of the Mekong countries and Korea.

Overview of the conference. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

At the opening session, delegates assessed that in the 2021-2025 period, the Mekong-Korea cooperation has achieved outstanding results in implementing the three pillars of cooperation "People - Prosperity - Peace" and seven priority areas including culture - tourism, human resource development, agriculture - rural areas, infrastructure, information technology - telecommunications, environment and non-traditional security. Despite many challenges from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, 36 projects with a capital of more than 23 million USD have been implemented by members, bringing practical benefits to the people of the sub-region and contributing to the sustainable development of the Mekong River basin.

At the meeting, members discussed the main contents and elements to build the MKC Action Plan for the period 2026 - 2030. Mekong countries and Korea shared common interests in expanding MKC cooperation to new areas such as digital transformation, smart connectivity, cultural industry; while continuing to promote cooperation on climate change, water - food - energy security, non-traditional security, human resource development, tourism. The Plan is expected to be approved in principle at the MKC Ministerial Meeting in July.