Asia

1. At the start of the meeting, the co-chairs The Honorable John F. Kerry, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and H.E. Mr. Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, stated that in order to enhance connectivity, narrow development gaps, and achieve sustainable development in the Mekong region, it would be important to carry out climate change measures and environmental conservation in the Mekong River area, and coordination among the relevant countries and institutions would be essential. Secretary of State Kerry then proposed to hold a working level "extraordinary meeting" in Laos between the latter half of this year and the beginning of next year, focusing on the promotion of sustainable development in the Lower Mekong region.  

 

2. The representatives of donor countries and international institutions praised the initiatives of the United States, and stated that, in order to achieve economic growth and sustainable development in the Mekong River area, it would be important for the donor countries and the Mekong countries to collaborate closely. Furthermore, each of these participants introduced their own initiatives carrying out in the Mekong region. Laos then stated that it would like to hold the "extraordinary meeting" in Luang Prabang.     

 

3. Foreign Minister Kishida introduced Mekong-Japan cooperation, including the Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and stated that the Mekong region was an area with a great deal of vibrancy and a high level of potential in terms of both economic and social developments. He welcomed the fact that many countries and institutions were proactively engaging in this region, and commented that it is important for each initiative to be carried out in a complementary and synergistic manner, in particular with a view toward building the ASEAN Community in 2015. Foreign Minister Kishida also pointed out that in the area of the empowerment of women, Japan was moving forward consultation with Cambodia and other Mekong countries in order to establish collaboration with a women's entrepreneurial center of the United States, and Japan was carrying out consultations related to unexploded ordinance in Laos in order to move forward collaboration between Japan and the United States. Foreign Minister Kishida added that the Mekong River Commission (MRC) served as an important forum for coordination in the area of the management of the water resources of the Mekong River, which provided bounties to the entire region, and that Japan intended to continue to proactively engage in the MRC.