ASEAN PMs vow to develop border areas

ASEAN PMs vow to develop border areas

Agence France-Presse, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam on Wednesday agreed to work toward accelerating economic growth in their border regions to boost low standards of living, Cambodia's foreign minister Hor Namhong said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen hosted a one-day informal meeting focusing on the region for his Lao and Vietnamese counterparts Bounnhang Vorachith and Phan Van Khai, their third round of talks since 1999.

"The biggest issue we have is developing the social economy in the triangle area in order to promote the standard of living of poor Cambodians, Vietnamese and Lao people," Hor Namhong told reporters after the meeting.

He said the leaders agreed to continue working on a master plan to develop the area, initiated by Hun Sen at the leaders' first meet in Vientiane in 1999 and followed up at talks two years ago.

"This master plan will be discussed in great detail by experts in September in order to produce concrete projects and the prime ministers will then approve it," he said, adding that funding would be sought from Japan for the projects.

Japan is already aid-dependent Cambodia's largest donor.

In a joint statement, the leaders said priority would be given to upgrading transport networks, promoting trade and tourism, developing human resources and health care, and connecting electricity grids between the three countries.

They also discussed cooperating to combat transnational crime and terrorism to ensure the security in the border areas, they said.

The visiting leaders spent Tuesday touring the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, Cambodia's main tourism drawcard.

The next meeting will be held in Laos next year.