Cambodia will jointly implement the Mekong-Japan Cooperation Strategy 2024 for long-lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region.

The commitment was shared this afternoon by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) in a press release on the outcomes of the participation of H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of MFAIC in the 15th Mekong-Japan Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Vientiane, Lao PDR late last week.

According to the press release, the Foreign Ministers of the Mekong countries and Japan noted with satisfaction that this year marked the milestone of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Mekong-Japan Cooperation, which reflected the enduring partnership and the remarkable and dynamic progress of cooperation, based on the values of openness, inclusiveness, mutual trust and benefits.

The Foreign Ministers expressed their appreciation for the successful implementation of the Tokyo Strategy over the years. The
Tokyo Strategy 2018 yielded numerous tangible outcomes focused on three pillars, namely, (1) connectivity, (2) people-centered society, (3) green Mekong and the fight against COVID-19 and the Mekong-Japan Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals towards 2030.

During the meeting, H.E. Deputy Prime Minister SOK Chenda Sophea extended his sincere gratitude to the Japanese government for providing invaluable financial support and assistance under the Mekong-Japan Cooperation framework for the development of the Mekong sub-region, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the sub-region. He also expressed his deep appreciation for the ongoing support provided by the Government of Japan for development projects in Cambodia, such as the Development of National Data Center towards Promoting E-Government, Sihanoukville port, and the enhancement of National Road No. 5, connecting Phnom Penh to the Thai border and linking the Southern Economic Corridor of the Mekong sub-region, which have significantly enh
anced our regional connectivity, and supply chains, as well as diversified sources of growth in the fields of investment, business, and tourists across the Mekong sub- region.

The Deputy Prime Minister also expressed Cambodia’s full support for Mekong-Japan Cooperation Strategy 2024 which focuses on the three pillar, namely (1) Resilience and connected society in the post COVID-19 world (2) Digitalisation and (3) Proactive response to non-traditional security issues, which undoubtedly produce more people-centered and pragmatic development, particularly, advocating for public-private investments to support the development of agriculture, health, human resources, industry, MSMEs, connectivity, finance, digital technology, tourism, and people to people exchanges and transnational crimes, all of which are significant priorities for economic resilience, inclusive and sustainable development in the region.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of “Mekong-Japan Cooperation Strategy 2024”, which set out the futur
e direction for Mekong-Japan Cooperation toward the path of enduring peace, stability and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse