Mekong sub-region countries, RoK enhance ties amid COVID-19
Five Mekong sub-region nations and the Republic of Korea (RoK), on September 29, called for joint efforts to restore and promote global trade plagued by the coronavirus pandemic and to secure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha at the 10th Mekong-RoK Foreign Ministers' Meeting (Source: VNA)
Seoul (VNA) – Five Mekong sub-region nationsand the Republic of Korea (RoK), on September 29, called for joint efforts torestore and promote global trade plagued by the coronavirus pandemic and to securefair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The pledge was made in a co-chairs statement adopted afterthe 10th RoK-Mekong foreign ministers' meeting held via a video link. TheMekong River nations consist of Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.
"The Ministers ... reaffirmed their commitment toworking together to restore and maintain interconnectedness by facilitatinginternational trade and essential movement of people, goods and services acrossborders," the statement released by the RoK foreign ministry read asquoted by the RoK’s Yonhap News Agency.
They also reiterated their support for "vaccinemultilateralism and the goal of ensuring affordable, fair and equitable accessto safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for all," according to thestatement.
The ministers also expressed concern about tradeprotectionism and tensions and called for "a transparent, free, open andrules-based multilateral trading system led by the WTO (World Trade Organization)."
Regarding Korean peninsula's peace process, they reiteratedtheir support for efforts toward denuclearisation and building permanent peaceand agreed that peace and prosperity on the peninsula can only be achievedthrough continued dialogue.
The 10th RoK-Mekong foreign ministers' meeting took place onSeptember 28 and was co-hosted by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh and RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
The RoK and the five Southeast Asian nations held their firstForeign Ministers’ meeting in 2011./.
The 6th Mekong-Republic of Korea (RoK) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place in Vientiane, Laos on July 24 in the framework of the ongoing 49 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49).
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc has affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to cooperation between Mekong countries and the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam highly valued the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s contributions to the Mekong region in the recent past while attending a meeting in Bangkok on August 3.
Agencies under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (RoK) have been focusing on preparing for the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit, said Chairman of the Korean Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy Joo Hyung-chul.
The ASEAN – RoK Exhibition on Public Service Innovation is underway in the RoK city of Busan from November 25 to 27, on the sidelines of the 30th ASEAN – RoK Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong – RoK Summit.
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Anti-dumping duties will continue to be imposed on producers from China and Japan while those on relevant exporters from the RoK and Vietnam will be terminated, starting from June 23.
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The pact covers goods, services, investments, intellectual property rights, customs facilitation, competition policy, sanitary and phytosanitary, trade and sustainable development, government procurement and economic cooperation.
The talent programmes mark another milestone in the technical partnership between PETRONAS and the Energy Institute, which focuses on three pillars: promoting decarbonisation and operational excellence through innovative solutions, enabling informed decision-making with expert advice, and nurturing the next generation of energy professionals.
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Ambassadors, Consuls General, along with staff and their families, joined traditional sports and cultural activities of Southeast Asia and performances bearing regional identity, thus contributing to strengthening unity and the ASEAN community spirit in New York.
In his post on social media the same day, Hun Manet said energy companies would be able to import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands in the country.