President Thongloun Sisoulith received in Vientiane on Feb 15 a letter of credence from new Malaysian Ambassador to the Lao PDR Edi Irwan bin Mahmud and a letter of recall of his predecessor.

Ambassador Edi Irwan conveyed to the President the cordial greetings from Their Majesties the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia, and also extended on behalf of the Government and People of Malaysia the felicitations to the Government and People of the Lao PDR.

Ambassador Edi Irwan further stated that he is deeply honoured to be appointed as the Ambassador of Malaysia to the Lao PDR, and will endeavour to deepen and expand the friendship and cooperation between Malaysia and the Lao PDR.

Established in 1966, the diplomatic relations between the Lao PDR and Malaysia have been close and friendly, encompassing a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, finance, education, defence, tourism, sports, science and technology, and innovation.

Bilateral trade has seen a significant increase in recent years. In 2022, the trade volume increased by 425% to RM 1.127 billion (USD 255.6 million) as compared to 2021. In the same year, exports to the Lao PDR were valued at RM 946.5 million (USD 214.4 million), while imports were valued at RM 180.9 million (USD 41.2 million).

Ambassador Edi Irwan is a career diplomat who has served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia since 2001.

He has served at Malaysian Missions in Yemen, Vietnam, Fiji, and Australia. Prior to his assignment as the Malaysian Ambassador to the Lao PDR, Ambassador Edi Irwan had served as the Deputy Chief of Protocol, Department of Protocol and Consular from 2019 to 2022.

Source: Lao News Agency