Laos works hard for Asean integration
Laos works hard for Asean integration
“The Lao government has paid atten tion to implementing the work plans of the Initia tive for Asean Integration by narrowing various development gaps to enable the country to integrate with the region in preparation for joining together in a cohesive community in 2015 and climb above the list of least developed countries by 2020,” according to Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.
Prime Minister Tho ngsing delivered his speech at the recent World Economic Forum on East Asia in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
The three-day forum agenda included several separate sessions covering the acceleration of Asean integration, a dialogue with Myanmar businesses and energy development.
The motto of the forum was ‘Courageous Transformation for Inclusion and Integration.'
The forum brought together more than 900 part icipants including over 500 business leaders from 55 countries and the host country.
“Through the previous implementation of socio-economic development, it should be noted that Laos achieved its success step by step, reflected by an economic growth rate increase from 7.9 percent in 2006-2010 to 8.3 percent in 2012 with the incidence of poor famil ies being reduced from 27.7 percent in 2003 to 17.77 percent in 2011 and 13 percent in 2012,” Mr Thongsing remarked.
He stated that Laos is a landlocked country so the government places great importance on having a wide open policy on cooperation and integration with its five immediate neighbours, working with Asean member countries to implement the work plans of the Initiative for Asean Integration. Laos focused on the basic infrastructure development of the country, aiming to provide ease in transportation, trade and investment and, in particular, the improvement and expansion of land, water and air transportation systems in the country and its links with its neighbours.
Mr Thongsing added that Laos had already built four bridges across the Mekong and was preparing to build two more between Laos and Thailand and Laos and Myanmar. “We opened 24 international border checkpoints, have a number of new flights to important cities and are promoting water transportation on the Mekong River to neigbouring countries.”
In the Greater Mekong Sub-Region programme, there are many projects to support integration, such as the construction of the R3 road which links Kunming in China via the northern provinces of Laos to Chiang Rai province in Thailand along the North-South Economic Corridor and the road that links Thailand, via Savannakhet province in Laos, with Vietnam along the East-West Economic Corridor.
In addition, the government has paid attention to improving traffic and transport facilities between Vientiane and Bangkok, Hanoi, Phnom Phen and Kunming.
“We will also be building the Laos-China high-speed railway which will become another major linkage between Asean and Kunming. We also plan to build railways linking us with Thailand and Vietnam via Savannakhet province.”
“Laos will continue to maintain an open and cooperative relationship with its neighbours in bilateral and multilateral ways and further the cooperation with other Mekong Sub-Region countries and development partners,” he state.
vientiane times
