Laos, Vietnam gear up for 47th meeting of Intergovernmental Committee
VOV.VN - Representatives from the Vietnamese and Lao governments discussed preparations for the 47th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation which is set to take place early next year in Laos during their meeting held in Vientiane on November 12.
Those in attendance at the meeting included Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation; Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment of Laos Viengsavanh Vilayphone, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation; representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, departments and agencies of the two nations.
In his address, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that Vietnam always places importance on and gives the top priority to preserving and developing the special Vietnam-Laos relationship, considering it a priceless asset, of vital significance to the revolutionary cause of each country.
He said he hopes that in the coming time, both sides will continue to thoroughly grasp the content of the agreement reached by their senior leaders and the agreement on the annual cooperation plan between the two governments.
Ministries, agencies, and localities of the two countries will strive to successfully finalize the agreement on the Vietnam-Laos cooperation plan for 2024 and 2025.
Accordingly, both sides need to enhance connectivity and complementarity between the two economies; create a stable, transparent legal corridor, and a favourable environment; have specific mechanisms for key security-defence projects.
The two countries are poised to reach trade turnover growth of 10-15% as well as intensify trade promotion, branding, and distribution channels for goods in each natioin to ensure stable presence and sustainable output.
At the meeting, the two sides also discussed cooperation relating to power imports from Laos to Vietnam, education, national defence, border management, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
They concurred to continue offer mutual support at international forums, promote ASEAN's role in promoting sub-regional cooperation, linking sub-regional cooperation with the process of building the ASEAN Community and ASEAN's regional integration; encourage ASEAN member states and partners outside the region to invest and support the development of the Mekong Sub-region in areas such as infrastructure connectivity, clean energy transition, climate change adaptation, poverty reduction, digital transformation, and human resource training.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed on two draft documents, including the Minutes of the 47th Meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the Agreement on the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Plan for 2025.
