VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam and Laos affirmed that the two nations always prioritised the strengthening and enhancement of their traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation, and described these as invaluable assets that needed to be preserved and handed down to future generations.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong inspect a guard of honour in Vientiane Friday. (Photo: VNS)

The Vietnamese Prime Minister, his wife and entourage arrived in the Lao capital Friday morning for an official friendship visit. After a red-carpet welcome, the two sides held talks, in which they talked about their appreciation of the significance of high-ranking visits made by both countries after big events such as Party congresses and National Assembly elections.

The two sides noted with satisfaction the strong development strides that had been made in economic co-operation, saying they had brought about practical effects to each country both extensively and profoundly.

They shared their intention to implement investment and trade co-operation agreements in an aim to raise trade value to US$2 billion by 2015.

The two prime ministers agreed to further co-operation in security and defence, culture, education, transport and communications, energy and other sectors while also agreeing to speed up a project to upgrade the Viet Nam-Laos border marker system and the project on "Raising the quality and efficiency of Viet Nam-Laos co-operation" aimed at raising the quality of human resources and enhancing co-operative ties in labour, healthcare, agriculture and rural development.

They said their foreign ministries would discuss friendship activities to be launched in 2012 which has been designated as "the year of Viet Nam-Laos friendship and solidarity".

The two sides unanimously agreed to continue with close and effective co-operation in information exchange and co-ordination at UN, ASEAN, ASEM and other international and regional forums. They also agreed that peaceful measures that were based on international laws should be used to solve disputes in the East Sea, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

Prime Minister Dung highly valued the recent achievements by the fraternal Lao people, and wished them further accomplishments in their national construction and development.

He said that Viet Nam supported Laos's early entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and would lend Laos a helping hand in successfully organising the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting in late 2012.

In the afternoon, PM Dung met separately with General Secretary of the Lao People's Democratic Party and State President Choummaly Sayasone, and National Assembly President Pany Yathotu.

Dung spoke of his pleasure at the fine development of the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the two nations over the past time and affirmed that the Vietnamese Government would do its utmost to tighten co-ordination with the Lao Government to deepen the bilateral friendship, thus yielding practical benefits to the two people, particularly implementing effectively the co-operative agreements that were approved by the two Politburos.

Appreciating the results of the talks between PM Dung and his Lao counterpart, Choummaly Sayasone said that the Lao Party, State and people pledged to do their utmost to join the Vietnamese Party, State and people to bring their traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation to a new height.

He hoped for the two governments to boost their effective co-operation in all domains, especially in trade and investment, and wanted "2012 – the year of Viet Nam-Laos solidarity and friendship" to become a shining beacon in bilateral ties.

Meeting with National Assembly President Panny Yathotu, Dung noted that the co-operation between the two countries had been carried out comprehensively in all areas, including politics, foreign affairs, defence, security, trade and investment and others, bringing about practical improvements to the living conditions of the two peoples.

He stressed that Viet Nam always wanted to bolster co-operative ties with Laos in the interests of the two countries.

Also in the afternoon, PM Dung and his party paid a floral tribute to the Monument for the Unknown Martyrs in Vientiane and attended the opening ceremony of a Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) representative office in the Lao capital.