VietNamNet Bridge – Top Vietnamese and Lao Party leaders have agreed to step up the exchange of information and experience, especially in theoretical and practical matters regarding Party building and national industrialisation and modernisation.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and visiting Lao Party General Secretary and State President, Choummaly Sayasone reached consensus on the issue during their talks in Hanoi on August 8, following a State welcome ceremony for the Lao leader.

Party General Secretary Trong welcomed and highlighted the significance of the official friendship visit to Vietnam by Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone and his wife and entourage.

Choummaly Sayasone’s selection of Vietnam as the first nation to visit after being re-elected as Party General Secretary and State President of Laos was a vivid symbol of the traditional friendship and special, loyal and pure solidarity between the two Parties, States and peoples, the Vietnamese Party chief said.

Trong said he hoped the visit would be a success, elevating Vietnam-Laos relations to a new height, meeting the desire of Vietnamese and Lao people and making active contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

In the atmosphere of friendship, special solidarity and mutual trust, the two sides informed each other of the situation of each Party and country and discussed in depth orientations and measures to unceasingly develop the relations between the two Parties and States, as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Party General Secretary Trong highlighted and hailed the grand historical and comprehensive achievements of historical significance recorded by the Lao people in national construction and defence after 25 years of renewal, confirming these were the results of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s sound policy and great endeavours of the entire Lao people.

Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone highly valued and expressed his admiration at the historically significant achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in the national renovation, construction and defence and implementing the goal of a wealthy people and a strong, democratic, just and civilised nation.

The two leaders reaffirmed the strong and comprehensive support of the two Parties and countries to each country’s national construction and defence cause. They expressed their firm belief that under the clear-sighted leadership of the two Parties, the two peoples would successfully implement the Resolution of the Party Congress as well as their own socio-economic development plan.

Both leaders discussed a number of measures to effectively implement the two Parties and countries’ high-level agreements and the results of the recent official visit to Laos by Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and the current Vietnam visit by Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone.

The two leaders said the two governments should direct ministries, branches and localities to implement the 2011-2015 cooperation agreement and the 2011-2020 cooperation strategy, enhance cooperation and mutual assistance among the two countries’ localities, especially border localities, and promptly finalise the organisation of the apparatus, renovate the mechanism and raise the efficiency of activities of the Inter-Governmental Committee and the standing section of the Vietnam-Laos and Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Sub-Committees.

Both sides emphasised the necessity to make thorough preparations, discuss and closely coordinate on the content and programme of the “Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012” in which senior leaders of the two Parties and countries would pay official visits to open and close the “Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012”, organising the inauguration ceremonies of a number of key projects to leave an impression of the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

The two sides affirmed that, in any circumstances, the Vietnamese and Lao Parties and people would make every effort to preserve and nurture the Vietnam-Laos special relationship, making it longlasting and transferable to future generations.

The two leaders also promised to incessantly develop bilateral relations in a more effective and practical way, for the sake of prosperous development of each country and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Top Lao leader warmly welcomed in Vietnam

Vietnam ’s Sate, National Assembly and Government leaders met separately in Hanoi on August 8 with Lao Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone.

In his reception, President Truong Tan Sang described Choummaly Sayasone’s choice of Vietnam for the first overseas visit in his new term of office as a vivid manifestation of the traditional friendship and special, close and faithful solidarity between the two Parties, States and people of Vietnam and Laos.

He also stressed the significance of the special ties for the present situation and future of each country.

In 2012, Vietnam and Laos will celebrate the 50 th anniversary of establishment of their diplomatic ties and the 35 th anniversary of signing the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation, as well as the “Year of Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity”, President Sang said.

This was an opportunity for both countries to educate cadres and people, especially the youth, to further increase the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and promote comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people, he added.

Vietnam would closely coordinate with Laos and support the neighbouring country to successfully organise the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in 2012, the President said.

Lao Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone affirmed the Lao Party, State and people would spare no effort to join the Party, State and people of Vietnam to lift the bilateral traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation to a new height.

The visiting Lao leader took the opportunity to invite President Truong Tan Sang to pay an official friendly visit to Laos soon.

On the same day, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung separately met with Lao Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone, describing the Lao leader’s current visit to Vietnam as an important event to boost the traditional close, faithful and pure friendship, and the special solidarity between the two countries.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam Plus