Leaders offer backing to new Japan PM

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday, Dec 26, sent congratulations to Shinzo Abe on being voted back into office as Prime Minister of Japan.

Nguyen Sinh Hung, Chairman of the National Assembly, sent congratulations to Bunmei Ibuki on being elected chairman of Japan's lower House of Parliament.

On the same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh sent congratulations to Fumio Kishida on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

High-level talks promote Vietnam-Laos ties

Vietnam and Laos will work closely together to improve the efficiency of their cooperation, especially in economics, and effectively implement high-level agreements.

Photo: VOV

The agreement was reached during talks in Hanoi on December 26 between Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his Lao counterpart Choummaly Sayasone who is in Hanoi for an official visit to Vietnam.

They said both sides will speed up the implementation of the 2011-2015 cooperation agreement, a Government-level agreement on economic, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation for 2013, and a Vietnam-Laos cooperation strategy in Houaphanh and Xieng Khouang provinces of Laos.

They agreed to accelerate Vietnamese-invested projects in Laos, and examine recent joint investment projects, primarily in mining and power generation, to make suitable adjustments, meeting the two countries’ requirements.

They underlined the need to introduce special incentives to attract investment in the Development Triangle Area, and coordinate closely with other countries within the Mekong subregion, East-West Economic Corridor, and other multilateral cooperation frameworks.

Vietnam and Laos need to increase high-level political delegation exchanges to share information and experience in Party building, national industrialization and modernization, as well as international integration, the leaders said.

They need to educate their people about joint historic works on Vietnam-Laos relations, and promote cooperation in human resource training, considering this one of the priority areas to lay a firm foundation for a long-standing relationship between the two countries.

Both host and guest affirmed that the Parties, States and people of Vietnam and Laos will do their utmost to maintain and build up their special friendship, for prosperous development in each country and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the rest of the world.

Party leader Trong described Sayasone’s current visit as an important political event in the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012 and expressed his belief that the visit will help bring bilateral ties to a new height.

He congratulated Laos on its marked achievements in implementing Party resolutions on socio-economic development in 2011-2015, the recent successful organization of the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the recent admission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

These achievements create the prerequisite for Laos to develop further in the future, and at the same time serve as a source of encouragement to Vietnam’s implementation of its current Doi Moi (Renewal) process, said Trong.

For his part, Sayasone, who is also President of Laos, briefed his host on Laos’ major development and thanked Vietnam for its valuable assistance and whole-hearted support to Laos during the latters’ past struggle for national liberation and national unification, as well as at the current process of national development and construction.

He expressed his belief that the two countries’ people will record greater achievements in implementing Party resolutions so as to meet major targets set by their Party Congresses.

Sayasone invited Trong to visit Laos, and the visit was accepted with pleasure.

In the evening, Party leader Trong gave a banquet in honour of Sayasone and his entourage.

Choummaly Sayasone began an official visit to Vietnam on December 26 at the invitation of Nguyen Phu Trong.

Party Secretary fosters Lao links

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Lao counterpart Choummaly Sayasone have discussed measures to co-ordinate their nations' development strategies, improve bilateral co-operation and realise the nations' high-level agreements.

Trong and Lao People's Revolutionary Party General Secretary Sayasone met in Ha Noi yesterday, Dec 26, during Sayasone's three-day official friendship visit to Viet Nam.

They remarked that the two sides should realise their 2011-2015 co-operation agreement and their agreement on economic, cultural, educational, scientific and technological co-operation next year.

Trong and Sayasone agreed the nations needed to implement the Vietnam-Laos strategic co-operation project in Laos's Huaphan and Xiengkhoang provinces as well as speed up investment co-operation projects in Laos.

They should also co-ordinate in reviewing and assessing the efficiency of their investment co-operation projects, especially in mining and electricity.

And they stressed the need to have special mechanisms and policies to attract investment from businesses in the Development Triangle and strengthen close co-ordination between the two countries as well as with other parties in the framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion, especially in the effective management and use of Mekong River water, the east-west corridor and other multilateral co-operation programmes and projects.

Trong and Sayasone said the two sides should co-ordinate in educating people, particularly younger generations, on the special relationship between Vi?t Nam and Laos.

The need to strengthen co-operation in education training and human resources development was also stressed, given that it had helped create a foundation for the consolidation of the special and sustainable relationship between the two nations.

Trong accepted Sayasone's invitation to visit Laos.

Earlier, the Lao leader and his entourage laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs and paid tribute to former President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum.

Strong co-operation commitment reaffirmed

On the same day, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang also met with Sayasone and his delegation in Ha Noi.

Sang said Sayasone's visit was an important political event in Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year, which brought to the Vietnamese people the brotherhood, comradeship and special, loyal and pure solidarity from the Lao Party and State.

He expressed his belief the visit would be a success and contribute to the special solidarity between the two parties, states and peoples, making it develop deeply, extensively and effectively in the interests of both peoples and for peace, stability, co-operation and development in the region and the world.

Meanwhile, during his meeting with Saysone, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised the success of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year.

Dung said Viet Nam viewed strengthening the friendship with Laos as a priority.

Dung said he believed Laos would continue to make greater achievements in socio-economic development process under the leadership of Sayasone and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

On the same day, Nguyen Sinh Hung, chairman of the National Assembly, met with Coukeo Akhamunty, chairman of the Lao National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Relations.

Vietnam, Lao NAs strengthen cooperation

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has said the NA Committees for External Relations of Vietnam and Laos should continue to strengthen their coordination to enhance the effectiveness of the cooperation between the two parliaments.

The Chairman made the remarks during a reception for head of the Lao NA Committee for External Relations Coukeo Akhamunty in Hanoi on December 26.

He suggested that the two committees should actively exchange viewpoints and foster coordination at the regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, supporting mutual interest of both countries for a region of peace and development and a united ASEAN Community.

Hung praised the cooperation results between the two committees, especially in the organisation of events marking the 2012 Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year.

The two sides worked closely in bilateral cooperation activities such as a conference on Vietnam-Laos NA cooperation, the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the two NAs and the successful organisation of the 7 th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership meeting (ASEP-7) in Laos, he noted.

Summit on VN, Laos, Thailand localities’ cooperation

The 16th conference of the nine provinces through which Highways 8 and 12 run in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand got underway in central Nghe An Province on December 26.

The event saw the participation of representatives of the Lao and Thai embassies in Vietnam, officials of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provincial leaders, and representatives of trade and investment promotion centers.

Delegates reported that their respective provinces over the past years have actively joined hands to carry out plans and programmes signed in the previous conference in an effective manner. Thanks to that, a number of remarkable achievements have been recorded in a wide range of areas such as economy, trade, culture, education, sports and tourism.

Those encouraging results have contributed to fostering friendship and cooperation between the three countries for peace, stability and development in the Mekong Sub-region and the East-West Economic Corridor.

Participants, however, shared the same views that the cooperation outcomes have not matched potential and strength of each province due to differences in legal and administrative procedures and economic development conditions.

Looking to the future cooperation, they agreed to continue pushing up cooperation in all fields, especially in investment, manufacturing and business, services, trade, tourism and cultural exchanges.

On the sidelines of the conference, an international trade fair was held with over 300 booths from businesses from the nine provinces, namely Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh of Vietnam; Bolikhamxay and Kham Muon of Laos; and Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Nong Khai and Bung Kan of Thailand.

VNN/VOV/VNA