• State President visits Attapeu province
• State President visit Champasak province
• Vietnam, Laos hold high-level talks

Vinh told the media that the visit, taking place from February 9-11, raised the curtain on the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012.   

President Sang held talks with General Secretary of the Laos People’s Revolutionary Party and State President Chummaly Sayason and met with Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotu.

He also paid a courtesy visit to former Lao President Khamtai Siphandon and several other former Lao leaders, and met with Vietnamese embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Laos.

He visited Champasak and Attapeu provinces and attended investment promotion dialogues in central and southern provinces of Laos.

Vinh said a strong consensus was reached on the importance of and determination to further cement the bilateral relationship as an invaluable asset which should be maintained and developed for future generations.

They officially launched the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012 to mark the 50^th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties and the 35^th anniversary of their Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.

Accordingly, they agreed that both countries will work closely to successfully organise activities, increase the exchange of delegation visits, boost cooperation between their ministries and localities, and train young generations about the history and development of the special Vietnam-Laos relationship.

The leaders agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in all areas, from politics, diplomacy, security and national defence to economics, trade, investment, culture and education, aiming to raise bilateral economic ties on a par with the political relations.

They affirmed that Vietnam and Laos will coordinate closely in materialising the results of the recent 34^th session of their Inter-government Committee, striving to raise bilateral trade to US$2 billion by 2015.

They encouraged the business communities of the two countries to speed up cooperation projects to bring benefits to their peoples.   

The two sides committed to increasing close coordination at regional and international forums such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).

President Sang voiced Vietnam’s support for Lao’s early admission to the World Trade Organisation and pledged to assist Laos in hosting key international conferences in 2012.

Deputy FM Vinh confirmed that the success of the visit shows the two countries’ determination to bring bilateral relations to a new height.