Hanoi (VNA) –The first Mekong-US Partnership Ministerial Meeting was held virtually onSeptember 11 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun (on behalfof US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo).

The meeting also saw theparticipation of the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand,and the ASEAN Secretary-General.

The meeting officiallyannounced the upgrade of cooperation to the Mekong-US Partnership (MUSP) basedon the successes of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) established in 2009,laying a foundation for upholding potential of the partnership and effectivelycontributing to the sustainable development and prosperity in the region in thenew period.

It affirmed the goodfriendship and successes of cooperation between the Mekong nations and the USin sustainable management of water sources, environmental protection, responseto natural disasters, healthcare, education and regional connectivity.

For cooperation orientationsin the upcoming time, the ministers held that amid challenges and opportunitiesthe Mekong Sub-region is facing, the Mekong-US partnership should focus on thetarget of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region andsupporting the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and theASEAN Community Vision 2025.

Regarding the principles ofcooperation, the ministers affirmed that the Mekong-US partnership needs toheighten the principles of ASEAN as the centre, openness, equality, consensus,mutual benefit, transparency, respect for the nations’ sovereignty,non-interference, and respect for international law as well as regulations andlaws of the member countries.

The meeting also agreed toincrease support and coordination with ASEAN and existing Mekong cooperation frameworks.The ministers emphasised the importance of sub-regional development to theASEAN Community building process and welcomed the efforts to enhance cohesionbetween sub-regional cooperation and ASEAN.

On the fields of cooperation,the ministers agreed that the Mekong-US partnership will focus on four majorspheres: economic connectivity; sustainable management of water sources,natural resources and environmental protection; non-traditional security; andhuman resources development.

Speaking at the event, DeputyPM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh applauded the LMI’s contributions topromoting sustainable development and building the ASEAN Community. He affirmedVietnam’s commitment to cooperation between the Mekong nations and the US.

As ASEAN is entering a newperiod of building the Community, the Mekong-US partnership is likely tocontribute further to the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region,helping the regional nations to narrow the development gap, seize new opportunitiesand overcome challenges, he said.

For development orientations,Minh held that the Mekong-US partnership should closely follow the agreedcommon principles, towards assisting the nations in seeking solutions todevelopment needs and ensuring interests of all members.

Priority should be given tothe cooperation fields that support economic growth and increase theparticipation of businesses, especially high-quality infrastructuredevelopment, management of Mekong water sources, and response to naturaldisasters and pandemics.

At the meeting, the USDepartment of State announced that the US will earmark nearly 153.6 million USDfor cooperation projects in the Mekong region, including 55 million USD fortransnational crime prevention and control projects and 1.8 million USD for theMekong River Commission to step up the sharing of water sources data to servepolicy making and natural disaster management projects./.