The 6th Deputy Foreign Ministerial-level Political Consultation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Laos and Vietnam was held virtually on Aug 31.
Co-chaired by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Quoc Dung, the meeting was attended by directors of relevant departments under the two ministries.
The meeting is an annual mechanism co-implemented by the two ministries since 2015.
At the meeting, both sides exchanged points of view in a straightforward style on various issues.
They reviewed the bilateral cooperation over the past one year including the implementation of the agreements signed by leaders of the two countries to strengthen cooperation in economic, politic, and social-cultural areas.
Both sides also discussed activities dedicated to the celebration of two historic events in Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022 namely the 45th anniversary of the signing of Laos-Vietnam Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (Jul 18, 1977-2022) and the 60th anniversary of Laos-Vietnam diplomatic ties (Sep 5, 1962-2022).
Both sides noted that the two ministries have maintained good coordination through bilateral, regional and international frameworks and although Covid-19 has hindered physical discussion and exchanges between departments of the two ministries, the two ministries opted to virtual forms of meeting and exchange.
Both sides agreed that although Covid-19 will disappear in the future, they will continue to maintain both physical and virtual forms of meeting and exchange on a regular basis to review cooperation on political affairs thus promoting cooperation mechanisms between the two ministries which serve as a key sector promoting and monitoring the implementation of agreements the two countries have signed.
Both sides agreed to serve as a key coordinator working with relevant ministries and sectors in the two countries to promote the bilateral cooperation between Laos and Vietnam and affirmed to provide mutual assistance to each other to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic through bilateral and multilateral frameworks including ASEAN.
The Lao side also expressed warm wishes for Vietnam on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Sep 2, 1945-2021) to continue to record greater achievements and fulfill goals set forth in the resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
The Lao and Vietnamese sides also exchanged points of view on regional and international issues of common interest.
Source: Lao News Agency