VietNamNet Bridge – Leaders from the five Mekong sub-regional nations and Japan have approved the Tokyo Strategy 2015 with an overall goal for the 2016-2018 Mekong-Japan cooperation specifically designed to ensure regional stability and achieve ‘quality growth’ in the Mekong Sub-region.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung is leading a senior Vietnam delegation to attend the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit taking place in Tokyo on July 2-4.

The meeting reviewed the three-year implementation of the Tokyo Strategy 2012 and outlined orientations for cooperation in the time to come. The leaders acknowledged the significant results achieved in all three pillars of cooperation, especially in infrastructure development for regional connectivity, trade and investment promotion between Japan and Mekong countries, environmental protection and disaster prevention, cross-cultural exchange and training of human resources.

They also hailed Japan for providing more than 600 billion JPY (US$4.9 billion) for Mekong-Japan cooperation in the period 2012-2015.

To deploy the Tokyo Strategy 2015 for Mekong-Japan cooperation, the leaders asked  foreign ministers and ministers of economics to devise an action plan and a vision for the Mekong region’s industrial development. The meeting praised Japan’s commitment to grant 750 billion JPY (US$ 6.1 billion) in ODA to Mekong countries in the next three years.

With the goal of ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the leaders reaffirmed their determination to strengthen and deepen cooperation between member states on regional and global issues of shared concern.

In Tokyo Strategy 2015 Declaration on Mekong-Japan cooperation, they stressed the importance of the ocean- a common asset of the world and closer cooperation to ensure maritime safety and security in the region.

In his speech, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung extolled the contributions of Mekong-Japan cooperation to the socio-economic development of the Mekong sub-region and the ASEAN integration process.

He touched upon three major issues that should be pivoted in Mekong-Japan cooperation in the coming period to achieve the goal of 'quality growth' in member states, including supporting Mekong countries in building a solid economic foundation for sustainable growth and effective response to the negative impacts from the outside, ensuring harmony and balance between economic growth and environmental protection, especially cooperation in the management and sustainable use of Mekong water resources and maintaining a peaceful environment for stability and development.

PM Dung agreed upon with the leaders’ common views mentioned in the Tokyo Strategy 2015 Declaration on Mekong-Japan cooperation. He stressed sovereignty and territorial disputes in the East Sea are becoming more complicated after a host of activities regarding large-scale construction and land reclamation have changed the basic structure and status quote of numerous natural islands, reefs and rocks. These are in violation of international law, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), sapping confidence and increasing regional tensions. These acts have caused deep concern and objection to by not only ASEAN countries but also many countries and organizations across the globe.

PM Dung affirmed that the maintenance of peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea is the aspiration, the interest and the shared responsibility of all countries in the region and beyond.

Parties involved should adhere to the principle of self-restraint without complicating the situation, changing the status quo, using or threatening to use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of compliance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and fully implementation of the DOC toward building a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Source: VOV