India pledges to contribute $1 million/year to Rapid Impact Projects Fund

India has committed to continue contributing $1 million/year to the MGC Rapid Impact Project Fund for the four countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

On July 24, on the sidelines of the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, the 7th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held under the chairmanship of Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Komasith.

Delegates take souvenir photos at the 7th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting

The conference was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and the Secretary of State, Ministry of External Affairs of India. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh led the Vietnamese delegation to the conference.

The conference reviewed the Mekong-Ganga cooperation situation from 2012 to present and discussed directions for strengthening cooperation in the coming time.

The Ministers welcomed the achievements in MGC cooperation, typically the Asian Traditional Textile Museum project in Siem Reap, Cambodia and the MGC Scholarship Program with more than 900 scholarships granted to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

To date, the MGC Rapid Impact Project Fund has funded 20 projects in Mekong countries, of which Vietnam has five projects with a total funding of about 250,000 USD.

Regarding the orientation of activities in the coming time, the Conference agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, education, health, Mekong - India connectivity, agriculture, support for small and medium enterprises through implementing specific activities and projects such as establishing working groups, organizing human resource training programs, conducting joint tourism promotion activities... in accordance with the needs of Mekong countries and the changing context in the region.

India has committed to continue contributing 1 million USD/year to the Quick Effective Project Fund for four countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, each country will be funded 250,000 USD/year.

The conference adopted the Joint Statement and MGC Action Plan for the 2016-2018 period and agreed to hold the 8th MGC Ministerial Meeting in the Philippines in 2017, on the sidelines of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting./.

According to VOV