Leaders from the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) nations agreed in Vientiane on Monday to endorse the Vientiane Plan of Action for GMS Development for 2008-2012 (Annex), which highlights the importance of making substantial and early progress on transport and energy in the subregion.

In the Joint Summit Declaration signed on the third GMS summit held in the Lao capital city of Vientiane, prime ministers of the GMS member nations vowed that they will accelerate the construction and improvement of the remaining sections of GMS corridors, and expand the corridor network through multimodal linkages, including the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link.

They will help establish a sustainable and efficient GMS energy supply market as well, according to the declaration.

The prime ministers of the six countries sharing the Mekong River – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – gathered in Vientiane for the summit meeting held on 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)