Hanoi (VNA) – Scientists, experts and policymakers from the Republic ofKorea and five Mekong nations of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnamgathered at the 2018 RoK-Mekong Peace Forum held in Hanoi on May 10.

The event was jointly held by the Institute for NortheastAsian Studies (INAS) under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and the RoK’sNational Unification Advisory Council, with discussions focusing on peace andunification in the Korean Peninsula as well as cooperation between the RoK andMekong sub-regional countries.

In his opening remarks, Pham Hong Thai, head of the INAS,said that the 2018 forum was a continuation of the achievements of the two previousforums and expanded the scope of discussion to connect the participation ofdelegates from the Mekong sub-region countries.

It was aimed at strengthening the cooperation between thecountries for the development of peace and prosperity, he stated.

According to Nguyen Thi Tham, from the institute, the RoKconsiders Vietnam a key partner in President Moon Jae-in “new southern policy”.

“With its special geographic location, Vietnam plays animportant role in cooperation policy of the RoK in the region,” she said.

It was necessary to boost bilateral cooperation in thecontext of the implementation of the new southern policy which focuses onSoutheast Asia, she added.

This idea was also shared by Kwon Yul from Korea Institute forInternational Economic Policy.

Given the expanding global trade protectionists andincreasing instability in global economy, the two countries should cooperateclosely to effectively support countries in the Mekong sub-region.

Regarding plans for future development, he suggested thatmultilateral forums such as APEC, the Republic of Korea-ASEAN and the Republicof Korea-Mekong Sub-region should be intensified in response to challenges likefood, energy and non-traditional security.

He also said Vietnam was acting as an important partner inthe economic development in the region.

The RoK is the biggest investor in Vietnam and bilateraltrade between the two countries reached 64 billion USD last year

However, he underlined the need to tackle Vietnam’s tradedeficit to the RoK, which stood at 31.7 billion USD last year.

He suggested the country improve supporting industry as wellas strengthen technology competence.

Vietnam mainly exports to the RoK phone and phonecomponents, computer and computer components, machines and equipment andtextile and garment products. It imported instruments, computers, electronics,petroleum, phones and plastics.

During the forum, participants also hailed the positive movein the Korean Peninsula.

The meeting of RoK President Moon Jae-in and DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjeom was ahistoric milestone, opening up a good prospect towards peace, unification anddenuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, they said.-VNA