The Vietnamese Government leader made the requirement at a mid-term ACMECS meeting which was also attended by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. The meeting was held just after the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on January 13.

Mr Dung called on ACMECS member countries to update the list of priority projects, forge close relations with the business community and strengthen the ACMECS Business Council.  

Vietnam joins hands with ACMECS member countries to achieve targets set forth in the Bagan Declaration and hopes that they will coordinate closely with Vietnam in organising the 3^rd ACMECS Meeting in the country later this year, said Mr Dung.

ACMECS leaders agreed to make the grouping's cooperation more practical and efficient, focusing on trade, investment, industry, agriculture, transport, tourism, human resources and disease control. They approved the 2006 ACMECS Action Programme and a list of 14 priority projects calling for development aid from foreign partners. They also agreed to assign ministers to study the establishment of the ACMECS Rice Exports Association.

ACMECS is a political, economic and cultural organisation among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. With a total population of 200 million, it acts as a catalyst to complement bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks in Southeast Asia.