Laos prepares for Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year

Laos’ Pasason daily newspaper, the organ of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, on March 28 ran an editorial highlighting 2012 as Laos-Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year to promote cooperative relations between the two countries.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong. (Source: chinhphu.vn)

There will be a wide range of activities to celebrate the two major events, such as seminars, cultural, artistic and sports exchanges and exhibitions, the article said, adding that Laos has set up a national committee to oversee the implementation of the activities.

The article stressed the need for Party organisations at all levels to establish steering committees to monitor the celebrations and raise awareness of Party members, officials and the people about the traditional relations between the two countries.

It also called on ministries, branches and localities to have responsibility and take initiative in celebrating Laos-Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year.

Lao and Vietnamese people continue upholding the solidarity and cooperation as aspirations of the late President Ho Chi Minh and his Lao counterpart Kaysone Phomvihane, the editorial concludes.

PM Dung to attend ASEAN Summit in Cambodia

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 20th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hunsen.

The largest regional political meeting will be held in Phnom Penh on April 3-4.

ASEAN naval officers meet in Vietnam

Almost 30 young naval officers from ASEAN countries gathered on March 28 in the central city of Nha Trang for an exchange to promote friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the regional countries’ naval forces.

Hosted by the Vietnam People’s Navy based on the initiative proposed at t he 5th ASEAN Naval Chiefs’ Meeting (ANCM-5) in Hanoi in July last year, the exchange also aims to share experience and professional knowledge in the naval field.

During the exchange, delegates participated in a get-together to introduce the activities of the naval force in each country.

They also had a chance to visit the Gerpard-3.9 naval ship of the High Command of Naval Zone 4 in Nha Trang bay and cluster in an evening exchange programme with officers and students of Vietnam Naval Academy in Nha Trang City.

The event provided the Vietnam People’s Navy with a venue to strengthen integration and raise its role and position in the region and the world, contributing to peaceful, stable and developed territorial waters.

Procuracy to increase co-operation with Laos

President Truong Tan Sang met with head of the Lao People's Supreme Procuracy Khamsane Souvong in Hanoi on March 27 and expressed his hope that the people's procuracy offices in both countries will further increase co-operation.

Sang said he highly values both countries' efforts to train staff and collaborate in dealing with trans-national crimes through implementation of the Vietnam-Laos treaty on mutual judicial assistance in civil and criminal matters and holding biennial conferences for the people's procuracy sector in border provinces.

Souvong said he is delighted at the fruitful co-operation between the two countries' procuracy sectors and stressed that his visit came at a time when Vietnam is implementing the Resolution of the 11th Party National Congress, which pushes for more transparency in the judicial sector.

Theoretical Council told to set sights on renewal and improved efficiency

The Theoretical Council should co-ordinate with agencies such as the Institute of Social Sciences, the Office and Commissions of the Party Central Committee and the Ministry of Science and Technology in renewing and making its activities more efficient.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong making the above comments at a meeting with the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee's Theoretical Council in the capital yesterday, urged it to research and study results obtained both domestically and internationally to provide better practical consultancy to the Party's Politburo and Central Committee.

Trong also affirmed that the Politburo and Secretariat always attached importance to work on political theory with the view of improving the Party's leadership.

For his part, Theoretical Council Vice Chairman Phung Huu Phu reported on the political science research programme for 2011-15, focused on the revision and supplementation of the 1992 Constitution.

He spoke of the council's detailed 2012 working plan, which would deal with State-owned enterprise roles in the socialist-oriented market economy, comprehensive renewal of education for human resource training quality, science and technology development for national industrialisation and modernisation as well as international integration.

Besides, the council would actively and directly participate in doing away with wrong viewpoints, correcting ambiguous perceptions in order to contribute to thwarting hostile "peaceful evolution" schemes and activities, Phu said.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA