Hanoi (VNA)🗹 – The 9th Summit of Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-9), which closed on November 24, focused on how to boost connectivity among the three countries within the cooperation mechanism, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.

Talking to the press about the outcomes of the summit after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc concluded his trip to Cambodia for the summit, the Deputy Minister said a series of issues were discussed at the event, aiming to improve the efficiency of the cooperation mechanism in the coming time. The summit also focused discussions on the implementation of agreements of the three countries’ Prime Ministers agreed at the CLV-8, and future cooperation orientations within the area's cooperation mechanism was on the agenda, he said The PMs signed the CLV-9's Joint Declaration, which reiterates the three nation’s commitments to a series of issues related to sustainable development, poverty reduction and stronger cooperation among Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, he added. The three countries’ working groups completed negotiations and signed a agreement on trade promotion and facilitation in the development triangle area, which aims to facilitate trade and investment activities in the area towards narrowning development gap in the area and other regions. A plan on rubber industry development in the area was also on the table, during which Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was praised for its coordination with Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Laos’s Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture to fulfill a draft study on rubber industry development plan. Regarding an Action Plan to foster connection of the nations’ economies by 2020, the Lao and Vietnam sides reached a consensus on contents of the plan, while Vietnam and Cambodia is continuing negotiations to agree on the contents of the plan, Phuong said. The summit adopted 15 projects for calling investment and funding from financial organisations and development counterparts. Participants also debated measures to boost tourism development in the area. The PMs assigned relevant ministries, sectors and localities of the three countries to complete a draft plan of the work and submit that to the PMs at the CLV-10 in Hanoi in 2018. Vietnam has actively cooperated with Cambodia and Laos in building cooperation and operation mechanisms, and oriented strategies and policies within the development triangle area, contributing to socio-economic development in the 13 border provinces and the three nations in general, Phuong said. The country’s ministries, sectors, and localities have worked each other and exerted efforts to implement cooperation projects with localities of Laos and Cambodia, bringing prosperity to the three nations. According to Deputy Minister Phuong, Vietnamese firms have invested in 200 projects worth 3.8 billion USD in the development triangle area. In the coming time, the Vietnam side will continue working with Laos and Cambodia on the implementation of agreements agreed at the CLV-9, he said.-VNA