The 7th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit kicked off this morning via videoconference under the theme “GMS: Renewed Strength to Face the Challenges of the New Decade”.
In his opening remarks, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Chair of the 7th GMS Summit, extended warm welcome to all the participants, adding that as the Chair for the Summit, Cambodia has been honoured to facilitate the review and preparation of the New Strategic Framework that has guided the future directions of GMS Cooperation Programme towards achieving a shared prosperity based on the principles of international laws, peace and solidarity.
This year’s theme reflects our firm commitment to addressing new challenges, thus ensuring centrality of GMS in regional connectivity and propelling GMS countries towards sustainable and inclusive development, he stressed.
The summit is an opportunity to examine how global trends are affecting the subregion, the progress that has been made in cooperation and integration, and the best strategy for moving forward in the years ahead.
Organised every three years, the GMS Summit was first held on Nov. 3, 2002 in Phnom Penh, while the 6th Summit took place in Hanoi on Mar. 31, 2018. This is the second time that Cambodia hosts the summit.
The GMS is comprised of six nations that share the Mekong River, including Cambodia, China (specifically Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.
