Economic prosperity in Northeast Asia will contribute to peace and stability in the region, a senior official of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has said.

Khalid Malik, UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in China, made the remarks on Saturday in an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

Malik attended the Eighth Consultative Commission Meeting of the Tumen River Area Development Program (TRADP), which kicked off on Friday in Changchun.

The Tumen River area and Northeast Asia would focus efforts on developing energy, transportation, tourism and investment sectors in the next 10 years, Malik noted.

"The economic cooperation and prosperity of Northeast Asia will contribute to stability of the region," Malik said, "We want to make some concrete progress in the next 10 years' program."

Member countries of the Consultative Commission for the development of the Tumen River Economic Development Area and Northeast Asia, that include China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mongolia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Russia, would play a key role in driving the program, he said.

They have also promised to finance the program, Malik said.

TRADP, a unique inter-governmental mechanism in Northeast Asia supported by UNDP, has played a positive role in promoting the economic cooperation and development of the region in the past decade.

The five countries agreed on Friday to extend the 1995 Agreement on the establishment of the Consultative Commission for another 10 years.

In addition, they have agreed to attract private investors to participate in the process of the region's development.

According to an agreement reached on Friday, a Business Advisory Council would be established in a bid to strengthen regional development and cooperation

The member countries also agreed to expand the geographical coverage of the Greater Tumen Initiative to the Greater Tumen Region, which involves three northeast provinces and Inner Mongolia of China, the Rason Economic and Trade Zone of DPRK, eastern provinces of Mongolia, eastern port cities of ROK and the part of the Primorsky Territory of Russia.

Before, the Tumen Region involves only Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of China, the Rason Economic and Trade Zone of DPRK, Eastern Mongolia and Primorsky Territory of Russia.

Meanwhile, the five member countries discussed the possibility of attracting Japan to join the program. However, they have no detailed plan on this, Malik revealed.

Source: Xinhua