Myanmar set an aim to have 50 per cent coverage of vaccination across the country at the end of this year: Senior General

 

The 7th Greater Mekong

Sub-region Summit took place through videoconferencing yesterday morning, with an address by Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The summit was also attended by leaders of the GMS countries prime ministers, ministers and senior officers from Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam, the president of Asian Development Bank, representatives of development partner organizations and private sectors.

First, the video clip on the accomplishments of GMS countries was presented as the opening ceremony of the summit. Prime Minister of host Cambodia Mr Samdech Hun Sen delivered an opening address. Next, Heads of State of GMS countries and the President of ADB delivered speeches.

In his address, the Senior General said he took pride of the remarkable successes of the GMS Programme in the enhancement of regional cooperation for about three decades starting from 1992. The theme of this summit “Renewed Strength to Face the Challenges of the New Decade” is the most suitable for the Greater Mekong Sub-region at present. In implementing the projects and sector-wise action plans in accord with the GMS Strategic Framework (2012-2022), Myanmar participated in the establishment of the Greater Mekong Railways Association-GMRA and signed the Cross-border Transport Facilitation Agreement-CBTA and appendices.

The economic corridors being implemented under the GMS Programme are the most essential for the export of regional products and development. Among them, the East-West Economic Corridor is very essential for Myanmar. The corridor connected between Da Nang of Viet Nam and Yangon (Thilawa) will strengthen the connection among the GMS countries and smoothen the trade process.

The Senior General said he welcomes the GMS Economic Cooperation Programme Strategic Framework 2030 to be approved at this summit as the roadmap for the GMS cooperation programme in the future. At present, the spreading of COVID-19 caused many changes in global countries including GMS countries and impacts in the health, economic and social sectors of the peoples who are still facing difficulties. Hence, all need to cooperate in the supply of vaccines against COVID-19, recovery of the economy in the post-COVID-19 era and solving the unconventional challenges in addition to that of monetary and technological resources. In responding to the impacts of the pandemic, Myanmar welcomes the GMS COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan 2021-2023. Myanmar is striving for prevention and control of COVID-19 and soonest remedying the loss of businesses triggered by COVID-19 through possible ways.

Despite facing challenges, Myanmar will make efforts for overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 in its third wave. Myanmar set an aim to have 50 per cent coverage of vaccination across the country at the end of this year.

Myanmar especially thanks to the countries and partner organizations that cooperated with Myanmar in so doing. The Senior General expressed special thanks to Cambodian Prime Minister Mr Samdech Hun Sen China for his arrangement to transport donated necessary medicines and medical equipment by special aircraft despite facing difficulties to control the COVID-19 and China and Thailand for the process of importing the medicines and medical equipment via borders.

The State of Emergency was politically declared because of attempts to convene the Hluttaw after committing the gigantic voting frauds in the general election held on 8 November 2020, and the State Administration Council has been serving the State responsibilities in accord with the Constitution of Myanmar for more than seven months as of 1 February 2021. The five-point road map is being implemented for the country not to derail from the way of democracy. Among the points of the road map, priority is being given to the implementation of the objective “The Union Election Commission will be reconstituted and its mandated tasks, including the scrutiny of voter lists, shall be implemented in accordance with the law”. According to the findings on the scrutiny of the newly-formed Union Election Commission, it was found that vote-rigging was committed for more than 11.3 million ballots. The government decided to continue the tasks in line with the road map.

Myanmar accepted the proposal to appoint Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs II. Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof as the special envoy of the ASEAN Chairman to continue implementation of the five-point consensus adopted at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting for the Myanmar affairs and will undertake further cooperation in accord with the frameworks of the five-point consensus of the ASEAN Leaders Meeting, that of the five-point road map of the State Administration Council and that of ASEAN. With regard to international relations, plans are underway to implement the existing bilateral agreements of two countries and international commitments.

Myanmar will further prioritize peace, sustainable development and all participation through the concerted efforts for benefiting all regional peoples. Hence, Myanmar will continue implementation of the agreements in regional and sub-regional economic integration including ASEAN, GMS and regional multiple economic cooperation.

Myanmar has secured remarkable progress as the result of cooperation during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic but still faces challenges in handling the trade, finance and information network measures in the sub-region and enhancement of competitiveness and more improvement of the community. To be able to overcome them, it is necessary to emphasize cooperation adhering to the firmed procedures.

He expressed his firm belief that the strategy and action plan to be adopted at the summit would overcome the challenges of the new decade to build a more compact and strong community.

Next, Cambodian GMS Affairs Minister, Minister attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia Mr Sok Chenda Sophea explained the successful results of the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Prime Minister of Cambodia Mr Hun Sen gave a concluding remark.

Then, the Heads of State approved the GMS Economic Cooperation Programme Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030), the GMS COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan 2021-2023 and the Joint Declaration of the Summit, and the summit successfully came to a close.

Also present at the Summit together with the Chairman of the State Administration Council were Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Aung Naing Oo, Union Minister for International Relations U Ko Ko Hlaing and officials of the Office of the State Administration Council and the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations together with senior officers from the relevant ministries concerning the working committee for GMS cooperation and private representatives who joined the summit through online.

The Greater Mekong Sub-region-GMS Economic Cooperation Programme launched in 1992 is a regional cooperation programme that has been successfully standing for about three decades. According to the GMS programme, six countries from the Greater Mekong Sub-region alphabetically host the summit once three years as of 2002 as the 10th anniversary of the GMS. Myanmar hosted the fourth GMS Summit in Nay Pyi Taw on 19 and 20 December 2011. The summits pledged to accomplish the visions related to the development of the sub-region in the future and Heads of State declared the important joint declarations. Today’s 7th GMS Summit approved the GMS Economic Cooperation Programme Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030), the GMS COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan 2021-2023 and the Joint Declaration of the Summit.

MNA

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