Bangkok, 10 September 2021 (TDI): The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Don Pramudwinai; Mr. Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea; and Mr. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia attended the 11th Mekong – Republic of Korea Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
At the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Mekong countries and ROK focused their discussions on future cooperation of the Mekong with South Korea and conducted a review of its recent progress. In particular, they discuss their ways of COVID-19 response and promotion of supply chain connectivity in the Mekong region.
Also, the delegation emphasized the crucial role of the ROK to promote sustainable development in the sub-region through official development assistance (ODA). The Mekong – Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF) has launched development projects since 2013.
With regards to public health and equitable access to effective vaccines and capacity building, Pramudwinai emphasized their trilateral cooperation (e.g. upgrade the capacity of public health personnel and systems) to respond to future pandemics. Also, Pramudwinai suggested that physical and digital connectivity would be an approach not only to the post-COVID-19 sustainable economic recovery, but also to boost supply chain resilience in the sub-region.
