VietNamNet Bridge – The External Relations Committees of the National Assemblies of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CLV) opened its fourth conference on Development Triangle Area (DTA) in the central province of Nghe An on August 2.

The CLV-DTA conference aims to promote friendship, cooperation and development of the border areas of the three countries.

The conference on the theme “The role of parliaments in supporting the Development Triangle” took place in the special context of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2012 and the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012.

The three countries have launched diverse activities to mark the 45th anniversary of   Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic ties and the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Lao diplomatic ties and 35 years since the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.

Addressing the event, Deputy National Assembly (NA) Chairman Uong Chu Luu said the conference is an important forum for NA deputies and representatives from ministries, sectors and localities to exchange information and discuss the role played by the NA in supporting the DTA.

Throughout the conference, they also shared experiences and discussed strategies for bilateral and multilateral cooperation for their respective NA External Relations Committees.

The NAs and their External Relations Committees will most likely support the DTA agreements signed by each government and supervise the effective implementation of the agreements.

The conference should also consider the possibility of establishing a Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Inter-Parliamentary Committee and a committee action plan to ensure their policies and agreements will be carried out effectively.

It is imperative to improve coordination between the CLV governments, NAs and localities inside and outside the DTA to fully implement what they have successfully negotiated and also to deal with further pending issues, Mr Luu said.

Chairman of the NA External Relations Committee Tran Van Hang said the targets set for the DTA have been fulfilled, helping the people in the area benefit from incentive investment policies and support from the three governments and other international organizations.

However, the results obtained from the implementation of a master plan to build the DTA during the past ten years are still far from matching the region’s potential and have not yet made a breakthrough in socio-economic development.

The CLV-DTA area remains a region with lower development level than others due to poor infrastructure and limited human resources. Therefore, the respective legislative bodies of the three nations should join hands with their governments in providing greater support for the DTA.

The Heads of the Cambodian and Lao delegations and Nghe An leaders affirmed that the aim of the CLV-DTA is to strengthen the solidarity, cooperation and mutual assistance between the three countries in the spirit of time-honoured friendship and neighbourliness.

While the area has political and security significance, it also has great potential for economic development that should be fully tapped, they said.

The NAs have supported their governments in boosting economic development in the DTA aimed at reducing poverty, speeding up socio-cultural development and ensuring cooperation and development within the framework of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) cooperation and other regional cooperation mechanisms.

Delegates proposed initiatives for legislative cooperation to create a legal corridor for prioritising the development of the DTA and promote cooperation between three NA External Relations Committees to make their operations more substantial and effective.

Earlier, the CLV delegations paid floral tribute to Kim Lien village, Nghe An province, the birth place of President Ho Chi Minh.

VietNamNet/VOV online