Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of Mekong Institute (MI), recently held a productive meeting with Mr. Oudet Souvannavong, President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce in Vientiane, Lao PDR, September 10, 2024. Mr. Oudet was newly appointed as a Business Representative to the MI Council at the recent MI Council meeting in August 2024.

During their discussion, Mr. Suriyan expressed gratitude to Mr. Oudet for accepting his role as a member of the MI Council and his ongoing support and significant contributions to MI’s work, particularly in trade and investment facilitation. As a representative of the Lao private sector in both the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Business Council and the ASEAN Business Council, Mr. Oudet reaffirmed his commitment to supporting MI’s initiatives.

Mr. Oudet also provided valuable advice and guidance on developing a new project concept aimed at enhancing MI’s role in engaging the private sector to address GMS development issues, including supply chain management, connectivity, digitalization, and human resource development. Following this constructive meeting, MI plans to reconnect with the GMS Business Council, extend the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU), and explore opportunities for collaborative project development.