Siem Reap (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc and his entourage arrived at SiemReap International Airport on April 4 afternoon, beginning his trip to Cambodiato attend the third Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit.
The PM was welcomed at the airport by CambodianAmbassador to Vietnam Prak Nguon Hong, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia VuQuang Minh, Vietnamese Consul General in Battambang Nguyen Xuan Thuy andofficials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the Vietnamese ConsulateGeneral in Battambang, among others.
He is scheduled to meet with Lao Prime MinisterThonglun Sisoulith and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen the sameday.
The leader will attend the opening session of thesummit and meet with overseas Vietnamese people in Cambodia to extend his greetingson the occasion of the traditional New Year of the Khmer people on April 5.
The MRC Summit, themed “Joint Efforts andPartnership towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in theMekong”, will create an opportunity for countries to review the operation ofthe MRC over the past four years and work to realise sustainable developmentgoals.
The 4,800 km-long Mekong River flows throughChina, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Its basin spreads over795,000 square kilometres in the four countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand andVietnam.
In 1956, the Mekong Committee was establishedunder the auspices of the United Nations to coordinate aid and manage resourcesin the river basin. In 1995, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed anAgreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the MekongRiver and set up the MRC, replacing the Mekong Committee.
The MRC holds its summit every four years,starting from 2010. The first MRC summit was held in Hua Hin, Thailand in 2010and the second one took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2014.-VNA