Vietnam, Laos affirm strategic importance of all-around cooperation

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith and his wife are on a five-day visit to Vietnam from July 3-7 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang.

On the first day of the visit, Bounnhang Vorachith held talks with CPV General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong as well as meetings with President Tran Dai Quang, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

At the meetings, both sides reaffirmed and emphasized the strategic importance of the time-honoured friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, which have been long cultivated and fostered by late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, Lao Presidents Kayson Phomvihan and Souphanouvong, and generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

It is an invaluable asset and a resource that ensures the success of each country for the prosperity and happiness of the two peoples, positively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

They congratulated each other on the recent remarkable achievements recorded by the two nations, especially after the two-year implementation of the Resolution of the 12th National Congress of the CPV, and the Resolution adopted by the 10th National Congress of the LPRP. They expressed a strong belief that under the leadership of the CPV and LPRP, the two countries will achieve greater successes in pursuit of prosperity and a bigger role in the international arena.

They showed elation at the recent progress of relations between the two Parties and States in multiple fields, particularly the success of the Vietnam-Laos and Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017 which has laid a foundation for the two sides to further tighten and promote the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

Both sides examined ways to effectively develop bilateral ties across a variety of fields, contributing to the success of each Party’s policies and each country’s development strategies in the spirit of independence, self-reliance, and equal and mutually-beneficial cooperation for prosperity of each country, as well as for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in Southeast Asia and the world.

They concurred to continue working hand in hand to effectively realize agreements reached by the two nations’ leaders, augment cooperation in diplomacy, security, and defence, and maintain high-ranking exchange visits. They also agreed to increase education and awareness of special relations between Vietnam and Laos among their people, particularly younger generations.

Bounnhang Vorachith expressed his sympathy with the Vietnamese people on huge losses in humans and property caused by flash floods and landslides in the country’s northern provinces last month.

The same day, the Vietnamese Party chief and his wife hosted a banquet in honour of LPRP General Secretary and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith, his wife and Lao delegation.

During their five-day visit, the Lao leader and his delegation are to visit several economic and cultural establishments in the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, and Phu Tho, as well as the High Command of Military Region 2.