MEKONG
GANGA COOPERATION - INTERNATIONAL
News:
Peace
and prosperity in Mekong region play pivotal role in India's Act East policy,
says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
What's
in the news?
● External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that peace and prosperity in the
Mekong region play a pivotal role in realising India's vision for security and
growth for all countries in the region under its Act East policy.
Key
takeaways:
● In
his opening remarks at the 12th Mekong
Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Mechanism meeting here, Jaishankar said the lower
Mekong region holds immense significance for India both in a historic sense and
a contemporary one.
Mekong-Ganga
Cooperation (MGC):
● MGC
is an initiative by six countries for
cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and
communications.
● It
was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Uniqueness:
● Both
the Ganga and the Mekong are civilizational rivers, and the MGC initiative aims
to facilitate closer contacts among the people inhabiting these two major river
basins.
● The
MGC is also indicative of the cultural and commercial linkages among the member
countries of the MGC down the centuries.
● The
MGC meetings are co-chaired alternately
every year between India and one of the 5 Mekong countries.
Members:
● India
and five ASEAN countries such as Cambodia,
Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Objectives:
● Promoting
economic cooperation and trade among member countries.
● Enhancing
cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
● Fostering
dialogue and cooperation on issues of common interest.
Areas
of cooperation:
● The
four foundational areas of cooperation under MGC include tourism, culture, education, and transport & communication.
● It
has further expanded to include new areas like health and traditional medicine,
agriculture and allied sectors, small and medium enterprises, water resources
management, science and technology, skill development, and capacity building.