Leaders from the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) nations said in Vientiane on Monday that the GMS program had been an integral part of the transformation of the region.

In the Joint Summit Declaration signed on the third GMS summit held in the capital city of Laos, leaders of the six countries sharing the Mekong River mention the big changes of the subregion that brought significant benefits to the people in the cooperative mechanism.

According to the joint declaration, trade and economic linkages between the six countries of GMS, which include Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have increased considerably. There are substantial improvements in physical connectivity, investments in human and institutional development, a growing sense of community, and an awareness of mutual benefits from cooperative endeavors.

The leaders pledged in the declaration to consolidate their gains and build on their successes in the future.

Leaders of the six countries gathered in Vientiane for their third summit meeting scheduled for March 30-31 to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation for their countries' shared prosperity.

Since 1992, GMS countries have embarked on a program of economic cooperation which aims to promote development through closer economic links.

The First GMS Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November 2002, while the Second GMS Summit was held in Kunming, China in July 2005.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2008)