Category: Governance

Party Secretary General and State President Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reached consensus on cooperation orientations between the two countries in the time ahead during their meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam on Jun 28.

Accordingly, the two sides will continue their close coordination to effectively realise high-level agreements, outcomes of meetings of the Laos-Vietnam inter-governmental committee as well as cooperation programmes between ministries, agencies and localities.

They will also further provide mutual support in COVID-19 containment and socio-economic recovery and development, while coordinating in implementing major joint projects.

The leaders consented to soon build the Laos – Vietnam friendship park in Vientiane, and work together to mark the 60th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, and 45 years of the signing of the Laos – Vietnam Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2022.

Thongloun lauded Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in COVID-19 containment and socio-economic development, saying Vietnam was among a few countries in the world that have recorded positive growth last year.

Both leaders rejoiced at the development of the great friendship and special solidarity between the two countries. Two-way trade in the first five months of this year reached 570.7 million USD, up nearly 40 per cent year-on-year. Vietnam has 208 valid projects valued at 5.16 billion USD in the neighbouring country.

They also looked at cooperation between the two countries within multilateral frameworks, especially ASEAN and sub-regional mechanisms.

The leaders shared views on a number of regional and international issues of shared concern, including the sustainable and effective use of the Mekong River’s water sources.

They concurred to continue their close coordination and mutual support, for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Later the same day, Vietnamese Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and their spouses hosted a banquet in honour of the Lao Party Secretary General and State President Thongloun Sisoulith, his wife and the Lao delegation.

Addressing the banquet, Trong affirmed that Thongloun’s first Vietnam visit in his capacity as Party Secretary General and State President of Laos is an important political event, marking a milestone in the bilateral ties.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people will make every effort together with their Lao counterparts to preserve and promote the special ties in all spheres, for prosperity and happiness of the people of both nations, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

Echoing Trong’s view, Thongloun said the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people of Laos and Vietnam will be protected, stressing the responsibility of generations of leaders to educate and pass on the tradition to younger generations.

Source: Lao News Agency

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between the two nations following their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam on Jun 28.

Among those signed were the agreements on the Laos – Vietnam cooperation strategy for 2021 – 2030; and on their bilateral collaboration for 2021 – 2025.

Numerous pacts for cooperation between Lao and Vietnamese ministries were inked at the event, including those between the two ministries of Planning and Investment, and between the LPRP Central Committee’s Office and the Party Central Committee’s Office of Vietnam for 2021-25.

Other cooperation documents were a collaboration plan on culture, art and tourism for 2021-25 between the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, another cooperation plan in the field of information between the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam, and an agreement between the Lao Front for National Development’s Central Committee and the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission.

On the occasion, a number of Lao and Vietnamese enterprises also sealed their economic contracts.

Thongloun Sisoulith, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of the Lao Party and State, began an official friendship visit to Vietnam on Jun 28. It is first overseas trip by the top Lao leader in his capacity as Party Secretary General and President for the 2021 – 2026 term.

The visit aims to implement consistent foreign policy Laos and Vietnam in reserving and promoting the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation of the two countries.

It also offers an opportunity for the two countries to further exchange experience in development and accelerate the effective implementation of bilateral agreements in 2021 and beyond.

Source: Lao News Agency

The Lao and Vietnamese Parties, States and people are resolved to preserve and promote special relations between the two countries intensively and extensively in any circumstances, the top leaders affirmed on Jun 28.

Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong made the affirmation during their talks in Hanoi, which took place following an official welcome ceremony for the Lao leader.

The Vietnamese leader said Thongloun Sisoulith’s visit will contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two Parties and countries, serving the cause of reform and national construction and defence in each country.

President Thongloun Sisoulith expressed his delight at great, comprehensive achievements Vietnam has recorded after 35 years of “Doi moi” (renewal), and congratulated the country on the success of the 13th National Party Congress as well as the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly.

The Lao leader said he believed that under the leadership of the CPV, headed by General Secretary Trong, the Vietnamese people will reap new, greater achievements.

For his part, Trong congratulated Laos on the success of the 11th National Party Congress and outcomes of the election of deputies to the 9th National Assembly, and congratulated Thongloun Sisoulith on his election as the Secretary General and President of Laos.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people strongly and comprehensively support the cause of reform and national construction in Laos, and shared difficulties facing the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The leaders highly evaluated the valuable, wholehearted and effective support the two Parties, States and people have provided for each other in their past struggles for national liberation and unification, as well as the present cause of national defence, and the fight against COVID-19.

They stressed the strategic significance of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, which, they said, are an invaluable asset shared by the two nations, and a factor guaranteeing their existence and development.

The two leaders agreed to work together to enhance the Vietnam-Laos comprehensive cooperation on the basis of promoting the spirit of independence, self-reliance, equal and win-win cooperation and giving priority and incentives to each other, and supporting and creating favourable conditions for mutual development, for the prosperity of each country, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia and in the world at large.

They reached consensus on increasing information exchange, consultation and coordination, and continuing to support each other in international and regional issues and activities at multilateral forums; promoting the central role of ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms as well as the important roles of the United Nations, the Mekong Sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Asian-Europe Meeting (ASEM) so as to contribute to maintaining peace and cooperation and development; and strengthen coordination with Cambodia to implement the agreement between the three Prime Ministers on the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area, and actively carry out the Action Plan to connect the three economies by 2030.

The two leaders also pledged to strengthen cooperation and coordination with each other and with relevant countries and international organisations to manage, develop, and use the Mekong River’s water sources sustainably and effectively.

They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability as well as ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the region by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Lao leader invited the Vietnamese Party chief and his spouse to pay an official friendship visit to Laos. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure and invited senior Party and State leaders of Laos to visit Vietnam.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing and hand-over of cooperation documents, including a Strategic Agreement on Vietnam-Laos Cooperation for 2021-2030, a Laos – Vietnam Cooperation Agreement for 2021-2025, a Cooperation Agreement between the two Party Central Committee Offices for 2021-2025, and a Cooperation Agreement between the Lao Front for National Development Central Committee and the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation in the 2021-2025 period, together with a number of economic contracts between Vietnamese and Lao businesses.

Source: Lao News Agency