Mr. Khampheng Viraphan, Chairman of the Law Commission of the Lao National Assembly, met with Mr. Zaur Ramiz Oglu Shukurov, a member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in Vientiane on October 19.
The meeting took place during Mr. Shukurov’s participation in the 45th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly hosted by the Lao PDR.
During the meeting, Mr. Khampheng highlighted that the discussion provided an excellent opportunity to promote and strengthen the relationship, friendship, and cooperation between Laos and Azerbaijan, particularly between the two countries’ legislative bodies.
Diplomatic relations between Laos and Azerbaijan were established on May 22, 1995. Since then, the two nations have developed strong ties, especially in the fields of politics, security, foreign affairs, and human resource development. In February 2022, a friendship association was established to further enhance relations.
Mr. Khampheng noted the significance of two key agreements signed betw
een the countries: the Memorandum of Understanding on Foreign Relations between Laos and Azerbaijan in 2017, and a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the Azerbaijan Party in 2018.
He also provided an update on the socio-economic situation in Laos, reporting that the country’s economy continues to grow, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to reach 4.7% this year. Additionally, Laos is currently revising its 2015 Constitution.
The meeting concluded with both sides discussing future cooperation between the two legislative bodies with the Lao side proposing several initiatives, including: Exchange of delegations to share experiences in legislative activities; Promotion of people-to-people exchanges and increased dissemination of information about the potential of both countries; and Continued mutual support in regional and international parliamentary forums.
Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening relations between Laos and Azerbaijan, ensu
ring continued collaboration across various sectors.
Source: Lao News Agency