A meeting was held in Vientiane, Laos between ASEAN, the Republic of
Korea (RoK) and other Asian nations on September 30-October 1, looking
forward setting up a Dialogue-ASEAN-RoK Forest Cooperation (AFoCO) in
2015.
Speaking at the event, the fourth of its kind, Lao
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vilayvanh Phomkhe held high regard
for the role of forests and forestry in Asia and the world at large.
He called on delegates to support the RoK’s proposal pertaining
to the establishment of Dialogue-AFoCO, which is believed to enable
countries in Southeast Asia and Asia generally to learn ways to restore
forests and manage them sustainably.
ASEAN and the RoK
committed to continuing extending the AFoCo Agreement and intensifying
cooperation to increase forest coverage and recovery within the bloc.
RoK has sponsored over 1 million USD for Vietnam’s forestry protection and development efforts since 2002.-VNA