BANGKOK, Jan 29 – Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is hosting the 7th Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Regional Working Group Meeting to discuss cooperation in several areas, aiming at moving toward the ASEAN integration at year-end.
The two-day meeting is focused on reviewing a draft of the Master Plan of Action to implement the Lower Mekong Initiative 2015-2020.
Cooperation in key six areas including health, connectivity, education, environment and water, agriculture and food security and energy have been discussed.
The first meeting of the Eminent and Expert Persons Group (EEPG) is also being held to propose recommendations on regional challenges and approaches to address sustainability.
Two Thai representatives in the EEPG are Dr Suthad Setboonsarng, Former Deputy Secretary of the ASEAN Secretariat and Assoc Prof Ruth Banomyong, head of the Department of International Business, Logistics and Transport, the Faculty of Commerce & Accountancy, Thammasat University.
The two-day meeting is being held at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel today and tomorrow.
About 150 representatives from LMI member countries – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the US — and Friends of the Lower Mekong (Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and the ASEAN Secretariat) attended the meeting. (MCOT online news)
