Thank you, Mr. Co-chair,
Mr. Co-chair, Fellow Ministers, and Colleagues

I would like first to express my gratitude to Minister U Kyaw Tin of Myanmar, for the strong support and cooperation extended to us in preparing for today’s meeting. And I’m also very happy to reunite with all of you since our last meeting in Busan last September.

Colleagues,

Despite the multiple challenges and threats facing this region, ASEAN continues very strongly on the growth path. And while there are likely many reasons behind this, I would like to attribute the gains to the Mekong countries.

With abundant natural resources, and a consumer and labor market of 300 million people, this region is viewed as a highly promising area by many investors. And with added momentum from the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), it is estimated that the combined GDP of the Mekong countries will exceed 1 trillion USD by 2020.

Indeed, with an annual growth rate of up to 7%, the Mekong countries are already one of the main driving forces behind regional and global economic growth.

This strong potential of the Mekong countries has attracted many development partners into this region. Today, countries, including the ROK, Japan, China and the US have established cooperative mechanisms in addition to the existing regional frameworks such as the MRC (Mekong River Commission), GMS (Greater Mekong Subregion), and ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy), among others.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate Thailand on the successful hosting of the ACMECS Summit this June. And I especially welcome the adoption of the Master Plan that focuses on action-oriented projects in trade, connectivity, tourism and agriculture.

Fellow Ministers,

As a key partner and close friend of ASEAN, the Republic of Korea has spared no effort in supporting the socio-economic development of the Mekong region. By reducing the development gap and enhancing connectivity, the Republic of Korea has cooperated in ways to advance ASEAN Community building efforts and bring prosperity to this region.

Under President Moon Jae-in, this cooperation is expected to expand even further. Since the New Southern Policy was unveiled in November last year, my Government has been actively seeking ways to substantially strengthen cooperation with Mekong and ASEAN.

By delivering tangible benefits to our peoples, we look forward to contributing to ASEAN’s vision of building a “people-centered, people-oriented” community.

Having transformed from an aid-receiving country to a donor country in a generation’s time, the ROK is a model for many developing countries around the world. Taking this opportunity, I would like to reaffirm ROK’s commitment to sharing our unique growth experience and lessons learned as we work together to promote sustainable growth and strengthen economic resilience in our region.

I look forward to engaging in-depth discussions today as we review our cooperation and discuss the way forward. I am also interested to learn of your views on the New Southern Policy as well as Mekong’s priorities as we work together to further strengthen our cooperation.

Thank you very much.