The 2nd Mekong-RoK Foreign Minister’s Meeting was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 10 July 2012, back-to-back with the 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-han and Lao Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alounkeo Kitikhoun.
The participants reconfirmed the objectives, principles, and priority areas in the cooperation between the Mekong countries and the ROK as stated in the “Han-River Declaration of the Mekong-ROK Comprehensive Partnership for Mutual Prosperity” adopted at the 1st Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting in October 2011.
They also reviewed the progress that had been made in the cooperation areas between the Mekong region and the ROK, and had in-depth discussions on a variety of issues including the Mekong-ROK cooperation mechanism and regional and global issues.
Mekong countries expressed their appreciation for the ROK's contribution and its active engagement in the development of the Mekong region through its ODA, the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund, and the support of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI).
The participants reviewed the progress of cooperation in the six priority areas of cooperation between the Mekong countries and the ROK - infrastructure, IT technology, green growth, water resources development, agriculture and rural development, and human resources development.
They agreed to consider the establishment of the “Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund”, taking into account that financial resources separate to the existing bilateral ODA are necessary to implement mid-to-long-term projects in a stable manner.
The meeting shared a common understanding for the need to establish a mid- to long-term cooperation plan, and in this context agreed to carry out first several pilot projects in the six priority areas and then to come up with the “Mekong-ROK Action Plan” to be announced at the Fourth Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting, hosted by the ROK in 2014.
In order to strengthen Mekong-ROK public- private partnership, the participants welcomed and agreed to hold the 1st Mekong-ROK Business Forum in Thailand in 2013.