Vientiane (VNA) -🐓 The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) was convened in Vientiane, Laos, on October 14.

The event, chaired by Somboun Sihalath, Director-General of the Department of Economic Affairs at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the ACMECS senior officials delegation of Laos, brought together senior officials from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and an ACMECS monitoring delegation. During the meeting, participants reviewed the implementation results of the ACMECS Master Plan for the 2019-2023 period and outlined directions for drafting an upcoming master plan. They discussed performance reports on the three core pillars of ACMECS, namely seamless infrastructure connectivity, synchronised and harmonised infrastructure, and sustainable and modern development. The delegates also discussed preparations for the 10th ACMECS Summit, which is scheduled to take place next month in Laos. Particular attention was given to logistical preparations, the summit agenda, and key topics such as the draft Vientiane Declaration to be adopted at the summit by senior leaders of the member countries. On the same day, a CLMV (Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam) senior officials meeting was held under the chair of Myanmar, which saw the participation of senior officials and relevant ministries and agencies of the CLMV member countries. The meeting reviewed the implementation of outcomes from the 10th CLMV Summit, with a particular focus on the Framework Plan for CLMV Development. Participants were provided with reports on the work of eight units within the CLMV cooperation framework, assessing progress, challenges, and proposing solutions for the future. Their cooperation areas include trade and investment, transport, industry, tourism, energy, human resources development, agriculture, and information and communication technology (ICT). The meeting also provided feedback on key documents to be adopted at the upcoming 11th CLMV Summit./.