Pranab Mukherjee to attend ADB's annual meet in Hanoi

New Delhi, May 2 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will leave for Vietnamese capital Hanoi tomorrow to attend Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s 44th Board of Governors' annual meet.

During his two days visit to Hanoi beginning tomorrow, Mukherjee will call on Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

During his bilateral meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister, both the leaders are likely to discuss matters of mutual interest. India has granted Market Economy Status to Vietnam in 2009. Issues of investment by Indian companies in Vietnam may also come up for discussion during this meeting.

Pranab Mukherjee will also have bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda as well as with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President. Since India has completed 25 years of its association with ADB, therefore, having silver jubilee celebrations in India this year may also come for discussion during Finance Minister's meeting with ADB President.

Mukherjee's first engagement would be his participation in a Seminar of Board of Governors' of ADB on "Asia 2050: Pursuit of Growth, Sustainability and Well-being" on the morning of 4th May, 2011. The discussion would be based on a study commissioned by ADB on the said subject.

Thereafter, he will attend ADB G-20 Luncheon event where discussion on the subject "Priorities for the G20 in 2011" would take place. Thereafter, a meeting of ADB, G-20 Presidency and IMF would be held to discuss "Reform of the International Monetary System".

This will be followed by SAARC Finance Ministers' Meeting, which will discuss the decisions taken in the last SAARC Finance Ministers' Meeting held in August 2010 in Thimpu, Bhutan. A draft agreement on promotion of investment is also likely to be discussed.

Mukherjee will in the evening attend the joint meeting of ADB, IMF, Japanese ASEAN and French G-20 regarding reform in the International Monetary System (IMF). He will host Constituency Dinner for the First time later in the evening.

The Finance Minister will on May 5 attend the opening session of the Board of Governors of ADB, which will be followed by Governors' Round Table meeting on 'Managing Inflation and Capital Flows'.

In the afternoon, Mukherjee will participate and speak in the First Business Session of Board of Governors' of ADB.

He will return back to India on the night of May 5. (ANI)