Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith co-chaired the 41st session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee in Hanoi on January 6. 

PM Phuc expressed his delight at the positive development of traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in diverse areas over the recent past. 

PM Sisoulith, for his part, believed that the meeting will create a new driving force for the practical and effective development of bilateral ties. 

Both sides were satisfied with the outcomes of cooperation between the two governments in 2018, especially in politics, external affairs, national defence-security, social safety and order. 

Over 400 projects worth about 4.1 billion USD by Vietnamese firms contributed to Laos’ socio-economic development. Two-way trade between the two nations exceeded the 1 billion USD benchmark in 2018, up 14 percent year-on-year. 

Several strategic transportation connectivity projects are underway while the number of Vietnamese scholarships to Lao students keeps increasing, helping to raise the total number of Lao students in Vietnam to more than 14,200 so far.

Both sides reached consensus on cooperation orientations for 2019, which lay the focus on collaboration across the fields of politics, foreign affairs, defence, and security.

Regarding economic ties, the two countries will exchange experiences in building policies to stabilise the macro-economy and promote sustainable development. Also, they will work together to create business conditions for companies in each nation to reach 10 percent growth in two-way trade this year. 

Meanwhile, improving the quality of education-training cooperation will be prioritised, of which historical works highlighting the special relations between the two countries will be put into curriculums at both Vietnamese and Cambodian schools. 

In addition, competent ministries, sectors and localities will foster the practical and effective cooperation in culture, science, society, communications, sport, healthcare, and legislation, among others.

In the spirit of special trust, the two sides agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums. The two countries will accompany each other to deepen the cooperative progress of the ASEAN Community, and enhance the ASEAN’s role in strategic issues of the region, including the East Sea matter.

Furthermore, they were unanimous on cooperation in effectively and sustainably using water resources in the Mekong river.

Laos affirmed to back Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

PM Phuc stressed that right after the session, the Vietnamese Government will direct relevant ministries, sectors, localities, enterprises and units to closely collaborate with their Lao counterparts to immediately and effectively implement the just-made decisions. 

Following the session, the two PMs witnessed the signing and exchange of six documents, including an agreement on the cooperation plan between the two governments in 2019, the minutes of the session, an agreement on the Vietnamese Government’s provision of 300 tonnes of rice seeds to the Lao Government, an agreement on the educational cooperation plan for 2019, the minutes on the transfer of the radio-TV station in Laos’ province of Savanakhet, and the minutes on the transfer of the Vietnamese-language faculty project at the Suphanouvong University and the Champasak University.

Inter-gov’l committee’s meeting creates new momentum for Vietnam-Laos ties

The Vietnamese and Lao Prime Ministers witness the signing of six cooperation agreements between the two countries 

The 41st session of the Vietnam-Laos inter-governmental committee, which took place in Hanoi on January 6, would create a new momentum for bilateral cooperation, according to the Prime Ministers of Vietnam and Laos who co-chaired the session. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith also co-chaired a press conference to publicise the outcomes of the session.

During his stay in Hanoi on January 5 and 6, the Lao PM met with Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

During all the meetings, the two sides reached a high consensus on orientations of bilateral cooperation in 2019 with a focus on the key pillars of politics, external affairs, defence, and security.

They concurred to increase experience sharing in building policies on stabilizing the macro economy and promoting sustainable development, and enhancing connectivity and supplementation between the two economies, especially in transport and energy.

Besides, the two nations will coordinate to improve business and investment environment, and transport infrastructure connectivity, while creating more favourable conditions for businesses and striving to expand two-way trade by at least 10 percent this year.

Vietnam and Laos will also continue to promote cooperation in education-training and human resources development.

The two countries’ localities will push ahead with partnerships in the fields of culture, science, social affairs, information and communications, sports, health care, and internal and judicial matters.

The two sides agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums and join hands to further deepen the cooperation and connectivity of the ASEAN Community as well as promote the bloc’s solidarity, central role, and common voice in regional strategic issues, including the East Sea matter.

They were unanimous in making effective and sustainable use of water resources in the Mekong River.

After the committee’s meeting, the two PMs witnessed the signing of six cooperation agreements, including an agreement on cooperation plan between Vietnamese and Lao governments in 2019; the minutes of the 41st meeting of the Vietnam-Laos inter-governmental committee; and an agreement on Vietnam’s provision of 300 tonnes of rice seeds for Laos.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports inked an agreement on education cooperation plan in 2019.

The two countries also inked a minutes to transfer the radio broadcasting project to Laos’ Savanakhet province; and another to transfer the Vietnamese-language department project at Lao universities of Suphanouvong and Champasak, the Lao National University’s dormitory for international students, and the second-phase of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship High School.

VNA