The ongoing official visit to Vietnam by Lao Defence Minister Chansamone Channhalat contributes to reinforcing and deepening the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomes Lao Defence Minister Chansamone Channhalat.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made the statement at a reception for the Lao minister in Hanoi on June 20, during which he particularly mentioned the close-knit relations between the Vietnamese and Lao defence ministries.

He congratulated Chansamone Channhalat on his election as a Politburo member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and Defence Minister.

The Party chief also extolled Laos for its remarkable, inclusive, and historical achievements gained after 30 years of renovation, saying he believes Laos will achieve more under the leadership of the LPRP and successfully implement the Resolution adopted at the 10th National Congress to build itself into a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous country towards socialism.

He highly valued the long-standing collaboration between the two countries’ armies as well as the outcomes of the talks between the Vietnamese and Lao defence ministers.

He suggested the two sides enhance coordination to effectively carry out the bilateral defence cooperation protocol, programmes and plans to ensure political security, social order and safety in the respective nations.

It is also necessary to jointly build a shared borderline of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development, he added.

In turn, the Lao minister underlined the outcomes of the talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich, during which the two sides confirmed to closely work together to fulfill missions assigned by the two Parties, States and peoples as well as realise the defence cooperation protocol, plans, programmes efficiently.

The Lao Party, State, army and people will spare no effort to keep and nurture the special solidarity and amity with Vietnam for the sake of the two countries’ people along with peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and beyond, he stressed.

President urges Vietnamese, Lao armies to boost ties

The Vietnamese and Lao armies need to push ahead with cooperation to ensure political security and defend revolutionary achievements in the respective countries.

President Tran Dai Quang made the remark at a reception for Lao Minister of National Defence Chansamone Channhalat in Hanoi on June 20.

He said the growing bilateral collaboration will significantly contribute to successfully implementing the Resolution adopted at the 12th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and another approved at the 10th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP).

The President congratulated Chansamone Channhalat on his election as a Politburo member of the LPRP and Defence Minister.

Chansamone’s selection of Vietnam as his first leg as Defence Minister shows that the Lao Party, State and army attach much importance to the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, Quang said.

He hailed the outcomes of the talks between the two countries’ defence ministers and agreed on their cooperation orientations in the coming time.

He also congratulated the Lao Ministry of National Defence on the successful organization of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), which helped consolidate the bloc’s solidarity and increase the position of Laos as Chair of ASEAN in 2016.

Both host and guest highlighted the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos, which was founded by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh, Kaysone Phomvihane, and Suphanouvong, and nurtured by the two countries’ generations of leaders and people.

President Quang said Vietnam pledged to do its utmost to support Laos in organising successfully ASEAN events this year as well as celebrating the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and 40 years of the signing of Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2017.

For his part, the Lao minister thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and people for supporting Lao counterparts, and confirmed that Laos will spare no efforts to nurture the special relations between the two nations.

He informed the outcomes of the talks between the two defence ministers, which focused on cooperation orientations in the fields of training and delegation exchanges, following the spirit of agreements reached at the annual high-level meetings of the two politburos, the 38 th session of the inter-governmental committee on bilateral cooperation, and the defence cooperation protocol.

VNA