Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ​welcomes his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith on October 25

The talks were held on the occasion of the Lao PM’s participation in the seventh Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS 7) Summit, the eighth Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation (CLMV 8) Summit, and the World Economic Forum on the Mekong Region (WEF-Mekong) in Hanoi. 

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the Lao PM’s presence will contribute to the success of these events. 

He congratulated Laos on its successful organisation of the 28th – 29th ASEAN Summits as ASEAN Chair, expressing his belief that the Lao Government will fulfill the set tasks and the Resolution of the 10 th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. 

He also welcomed PM Thongloun Sisoulith’s recent dialogue with Vietnamese businesses and his pledge to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese investors in Laos. 

The two government leaders agreed to task the two ministries of industry and trade with devising solutions for boosting bilateral trade and better implementing the Vietnam-Laos border trade agreement. 

They also pledged to urge Vietnamese enterprises to carry out projects, particularly those on hydropower and mining, in Laos on schedule. 

For his part, PM Thongloun Sisoulith extended condolences to the Party, State and people of Vietnam on the heavy damage inflicted by flood on the central region. 

He applauded Vietnam’s initiative to organise the WEF-Mekong and thanked Vietnam for its support of Laos in fulfilling the role as ASEAN Chair in 2016 and in successfully organising the ASEAN Summits last September. 

The Lao PM noted that Vietnam’s investment is on the rise in Laos and has considerably contributed to local socio-economic development, underling the fact that Vietnam currently ranks third among foreign investors in his country. 

The Vietnamese and Lao leaders agreed that the two Governments will set up a committee for organising activities marking the 55 th founding anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties and 40 years since the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty. 

They also agreed to set up a specific mechanism for their meetings and attending sessions of the Inter-governmental Committee on cooperation so as to swiftly tackle problems in bilateral relations.-

President Tran Dai Quang greets Lao PM

President Tran Dai Quang gave a reception in Hanoi on October 25 for Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith who heads a high-level delegation to ongoing regional summits in Vietnam.

The President hailed the participation of the PM and the high-level delegation of Laos in the World Economic Forum on Mekong (WEF – Mekong), the 8th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 8) and the 7th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 7) in Vietnam.

“It illustrates Laos’ special attachment to cooperation in the Mekong Subregion,” said the President.

He congratulated Laos on the successful organisation of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and relevant meetings as Chair of ASEAN in 2016.

The expansion of relations with foreign countries, especially neighbouring ones, has helped Laos increase its position in the region and around the world, he said, adding that he believes Lao people will fulfil the targets of the Resolution adopted at the 10th Party Congress and the eighth five-year socio-economic development plan in 2016-2020.

President Quang also expressed his pleasure at the growing ties between the two countries across the fields thanks to regular high-level delegation exchanges, particularly the recent official visit to Laos by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in September, which has contributed to tightening the bilateral traditional friendship and special solidarity.

He suggested the two countries’ governments continuously make it easier for the implementation of the joint investment projects and key ones in energy and transport, including the construction of Hanoi – Vientiane highway and oil and gas pipeline project from Hon La port (in Vietnam’s central Quang Binh province) to Lao Khammouan province.

He recommended enhancing bilateral collaboration in defense, security, culture, education, human resources training, health, and people-to-people exchanges.

For his part, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said he was honoured to lead senior officials from Laos to attend the regional summits.

He also expressed his pleasure to be informed that President Tran Dai Quang will visit Laos to partake in activities to mark the 55th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties and 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam – Laos Amity and Cooperation Treaty in 2017.-

VNA