The central province of Quang Tri and two bordering Lao provinces - Savanakhet and Salavan - have signed an agreement on cooperation in border affairs and border marker planting for 2017-2018.

At the Lao Bao border gate in Quang Tri 

The agreement was reached during talks among leaders of the three provinces’ Steering Committees for Marker Planting in Gio Linh district of Quang Tri on July 14. 

The three localities concurred to efficiently implement the protocol on borderline and border markers and the agreement on land border and land border gate management regulations signed by the two Governments.

They will also continue with communication activities to raise public awareness of the significance of the Vietnam-Laos border, the border markers along the three provinces, and the responsibility to adhere to relevant agreements.

The localities will share experience and information, while expanding twin relations among villages of the three provinces, and coordinating closely in enforcing the agreement on the settlement of free migration and unregistered marriage along the border.

The three provinces also agreed on some matters related to border trade development, and the strengthening of cooperation in boosting high technology agriculture production, forest planting and construction of wood processing factories for export.

Quang Tri shares more than 179 km of border with Savannakhet and Salavan. Over the past years, the three provinces have engaged in close cooperation on managing and protecting the borderline, border markers and maintaining stability in the shared border.

However, the three provinces are encountering some problems, including illegal cross-border movements, rosomg trans-national crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking and illegal drug trade along with the illegal aquatic exploitation in rivers along the border.

The sides have stressed the need for more effective management measures to effectively deal with the problems.

VNA