President Vo Van Thuong and Party General Secretary, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith review the Lao Honor Guard at the welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese President on April 10, 2023. (Photo: VNA).

Lao President Sisoulith spoke highly of the Vietnamese President’s visit, saying President Thuong’s selection of Laos for his first overseas trip in the new position demonstrates the importance Vietnamese Party and State leaders and the President himself attach to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

He used the occasion to thank Vietnam for supporting Laos in socio-economic recovery and development and asked Thuong to convey his best wishes and regards to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other senior leaders of Vietnam.

The host congratulated Vietnam on its great, comprehensive achievements in the implementation of the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress and the national socio-economic development plan over the past time, calling them a great source of encouragement to the revolutionary cause in Laos.

For his part, President Thuong expressed his delight to pay an official visit to Laos on the occasion of the neighbouring country celebrating the traditional New Year Bunpimay.

President Vo Van Thuong (L) and Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith on April 10, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

He also conveyed New Year wishes from Party General Secretary Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to President Sisoulith himself, and other high-ranking leaders, officials, Party members and people of Laos.

He commended the great, comprehensive achievements the Lao Party, Government and people have attained in national reform and construction, and noted his belief that the country will soon overcome difficulties and challenges to successfully realise targets set at the 11th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP).

President Thuong thanked the Lao State and people for their whole-hearted, pure sentiments and support for the cause of national construction and defence in Vietnam.

The two leaders rejoiced at the good development of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation over the past time, saying despite impacts of the COVID-19, the two sides still maintained delegation exchanges and contacts at the high level, and effectively carried forward bilateral cooperation mechanisms, helping maintain and promote the close, reliable bilateral political ties at the highest level.

Last year, the two sides coordinated in successfully organising hundreds of activities from the central to grassroots levels within the framework of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year, they said, reviewing strides made in cooperation in national defence and security, economy, culture, social affairs, education and sports, people-to-people exchange, and collaboration between their localities, especially border ones.

The leaders compared notes on orientations and measures to strengthen cooperation in all spheres in a trustworthy, sincere and candid manner, and stressed that given complex developments of the regional and international situation, the two countries should step up consultations, experience sharing, cooperation and mutual support in order to overcome obstacles, while working together to build independent, self-reliant economies that integrate intensively and extensively into the world.

They reiterated the two countries’ consistent policies of always attaching importance and giving the top priority to consolidating and enhancing their great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

They agreed to continue concentrating on effectively materialising high-level agreements reached by the two countries as well as their ministries, agencies and localities, increase consultations on strategic issues, intensify the exchange of visits and contacts at all levels, review and raise the efficiency of cooperation mechanisms, promote outcomes and positive effects of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022 to step up the popularisation of the bilateral relations, soon include books on the Vietnam-Laos ties into the curricula of educational institutions in both nations, and coordinate in building works and historical relic sites on the relationship, including the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Park in Vientiane.

President Vo Van Thuong and Party General Secretary, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith hold talks in Vientiane. (Photo: VNA)

The leaders consented to foster cooperation in national defence and security in response to new security challenges, maintain their coordination and mutual support to ensure political stability, security, and social order and safety in each nation, well implement agreements reached by the ministries of national defence and public security of the two countries, closely coordinate in border management, especially in the fight against cross-border crimes, drug crimes and illegal immigrants, and further join hands in the search for and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer and soldiers who laid down their lives in Laos, and in upgrading monuments featuring Vietnam-Lao combat alliance.

The host and guest concurred to elevate the bilateral economic ties, making them match the political relations; enhance the exchange of experience in macro-economic management and corruption fight; upgrade international border gates and routes connecting the two countries; and continuously improve the efficiency of cooperation in education-training, tourism, energy, clean agriculture, science-technology, health care, and exchanges between citizens and localities of the two countries.

They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern and agreed to intensify information sharing and closely coordinate and cooperate at regional and international forums, and work together to ensure solidarity and uphold the central role of ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

President Vo Van Thuong and Party General Secretary, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith witness the signing and exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in technology and innovation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Lao Ministry of Technology and Communications. (Photo: VNA)

President Thuong affirmed that in the spirit of comradeship and fraternity, Vietnam will try its best to support Laos to successfully perform its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024, and stands ready to assist the Lao National Assembly to assume international tasks in the time ahead, including the organisation of the first Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Parliamentary Summit in Vientiane in 2023.

On this occasion, the President announced a gift worth 1 million USD from the Vietnamese Party, State and people to their Lao counterparts, and reiterated the invitation to the Party General Secretary and President of Laos to pay an official visit to Vietnam at an appropriate time. The Lao leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Following the talks, the leaders witnessed the signing and exchange of two cooperation documents, comprising a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in technology and innovation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Lao Ministry of Technology and Communications, and another on cooperation in science between the Vietnamese ministry and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports.