Press Releases
Foreign Minister Motegi’s Attendance at the Friends of the Mekong Ministerial Meeting
On August 5, commencing at 8 p.m. for approximately an hour and a half, the Friends of the Mekong Ministerial Meeting (video teleconference meeting) was held. Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the meeting. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The ministerial meeting was chaired by The Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States, and attended by member states and organizations of the Friends of the Mekong and others.
- At the outset, Secretary Blinken, the chair, stated that, in order to achieve sustainable development in the Mekong region looking ahead to the post COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with climate change and the sectors of infrastructure and energy are important, and it is essential to promote the cordination among relevant countries and organizations in a transparent manner.
- Minister Motegi noted that the Mekong region is located at the core of the Indo-Pacific and has significant economic potential, and then explained the progress status of Japan-Mekong cooperation, focusing on the response to COVID-19, enhancing connectivity, and resolving the challenges facing the Mekong River.
- With regard to the situation in Myanmar, Minister Motegi stated that he regards the Five-Point Consensus of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting as the first step toward turning around the situation, and welcomed the appointment of Dato Erywan, Minister of Foreign Affairs II of Brunei Darussalam, as the ASEAN Special Envoy. Minister Motegi reiterated Japan’s intention to strongly support initiatives by ASEAN, noting the importance of ensuring that the Five-Point Consensus leads to concrete outcomes, and expressed his strong expectations for a constructive response from Myanmar.
[Reference 1] Friends of the Mekong (formerly “Friends of the Lower Mekong” [FLM])
The Friends of the Mekong is a United States-led framework intended to deepen coordination and cooperation between and among partners providing development cooperation to the Mekong region. The previous ministerial meeting was held in 2014 in Myanmar and was attended by then Minister for Foreign Affairs Kishida from Japan.
[Reference 2] Attending states and organizations
Japan, United States (chair), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, Australia, European Union (EU), Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Mekong River Commission, World Bank, India (observer), United Kingdom (observer), ASEAN Secretariat (observer)