Important high-level visits of Viet Nam-Laos special relationship

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed Vice President of Lao PDR Pany Yathotou. (Photo: VNA)

Bring cooperation to new heights

Ambassador Hung said that the two official visits are of great importance to the bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Laos. This is the first official visit of comrade Pany Yathotou as Vice President of Lao PDR and she has chosen Viet Nam as the first foreign country to visit. This is also the first official visit to Laos by comrade Bui Thanh Son as Foreign Minister of Viet Nam.

The two visits have taken place in the context that the world and regional situation is folding complicated, tense and unpredictable, having many impacts on both Viet Nam and Laos, he said.

According to the Vietnamese Ambassador, these visits affirm the strategic importance of Viet Nam and Laos in each other’s foreign policy as well as the very special relationship between the two countries. It shows the strong commitment of the leaders of the two countries to strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. During the visits, leaders of the two sides discuss important issues in the bilateral relationship, especially promoting cooperation in all fields.

Strengthening the cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries is another very important aspect, especially in the coordination and implementation of the agreements of the two countries' leaders and the cooperation minutes between the two Foreign Ministries in the 2021-2025 period, to prepare the visits of the two countries' leaders, implement specific cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, and organize activities to celebrate the Viet Nam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan received Vice President of Lao PDR Pany Yathotou. (Photo: VNA)

In addition, it is also an opportunity for leaders and Foreign Ministers of the two countries to share views and make in-depth assessments on regional and international issues of mutual concern, exchange ideas for cooperation and reach consensus for unifying viewpoints to coordinate positions at channels and levels, in order to enhance the effectiveness of international cooperation and ensuring the national interests of the two sides, to elevate the international position of each country in the world arena.

Ambassador Hung expressed his hope that these visits will be a great success, marking two important events to celebrate the anniversary of the Viet Nam-Laos Solidarity Year 2022, contributing to the great friendship and solidarity, bringing special and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to new heights.

Consolidating solidarity by mutual support in COVID-19 fight

Ambassador Hung talked about Viet Nam-Lao solidarity and mutual support over the past two years, especially in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stressed that in difficult times, the solidarity, sharing and mutual help between the two peoples emerged as a special bright spot in the Viet Nam-Laos relationship. The two countries still well maintained high-level visits as well as online meetings and phone calls, giving each other brotherly affection, supporting each other and sharing valuable material supplies in epidemic prevention and control, pushing post-pandemic recovery.

The two countries have signed many action programs and agreements in many fields, especially in the economic field, resumption of goods trade and people movement between the two countries, both by land and by air, to promote investment, trade and other diverse areas of cooperation.

Notably, the Lao side is actively strengthening the legal corridor and improving the investment environment, while Viet Nam is actively helping Laos successfully fulfill its goal of becoming a logistics center in the region with a connection to the sea to open the market of 100 million people with Lao products.

In addition, the 44th meeting of the Viet Nam-Laos Joint Committee on Cooperation confirmed the interest of the two Governments in taking many specific measures to improve the efficiency of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of economics, finance, science and technology, to bring cooperation into depth and effectiveness.

It is forecast that investment-trade cooperation between the two countries will undergo new developments in the coming time with new cooperation models, bringing into full play their potentials, cooperation and mutual assistance to ensure independence and self-reliance in the economy.

Lao leaders affirm giving priority to strengthening friendship, solidarity, cooperation with Viet Nam

People-to-people exchange among the priorities

Ambassador Hung underlined the significance of the people-to-people exchange activities in celebrating the Year of Solidarity and Friendship between Viet Nam and Laos.

Every 5 years, Viet Nam and Laos together solemnly celebrate the two most important events, such are the date of establishment of diplomatic relations and the day of signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, that year is called the Year of Solidarity and Friendship between Viet Nam-Laos and Laos-Viet Nam.

In 2022, the two countries jointly celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Viet Nam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, and the two countries will jointly organize many commemorative activities.

The two sides consider people-to-people exchanges very important and will coordinate to promote a number of practical and impressive activities. Specifically, the two sides organized the 5th Viet Nam-Laos Friendship Festival both in face-to-face and online form, implementing exchanging programs among representatives of ethnic minorities, people living along the border and program to send Lao students to homestays in Viet Nam; publishing bilingual publications on the legendary West Truong Son road as well as the friendship between the two countries; organizing contests about the history and relationship of the two countries; composing music and art; exchanging art performances; organizing photo exhibitions on life, people and development history of Viet Nam-Laos relations, etc., contributing to building a peaceful, stable, cooperative and sustainable Viet Nam-Laos border.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung. (Photo: ND)

The people-to-people exchange activities between Viet Nam and Laos are opportunities for the people of the two countries, especially young generation, to further understand the history of the special alliance solidarity forged between the two countries in the struggle for independence and freedom for the two peoples in the past, as well as the great achievements of the sincere and effective cooperation of the two countries in the cause of national construction and defense in the present.

Those activities also help the people of the two countries, especially young generation, to know more about the Viet Nam-Lao relationship’s great journey and achievements, which have been attributed to the nurture and cherished by the great President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong, and have been inherited and preserved by generations of leaders and people of Viet Nam and Laos, forming a rarely precious relationship and invaluable asset of the two nations.

Emphasizing the prospects of the Viet Nam-Laos relationship at the multilateral arena

Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung said that in the global picture of the world and regional situation, the trend of peace, friendship and cooperation is still being the main ones. Viet Nam and Laos continue to have many opportunities to strengthen international integration and cooperation with each other and with other countries with the same goal for peace, security, stability and development.

On the basis of a good tradition of friendship and mutual support developed over the past decades, with increasingly solidified trust between the two peoples, in the coming time, the relationship between Viet Nam and Laos will keep on thriving under the guidelines and directions of the two parties and two states, continues to be a really special and unique relationship in the external affairs of a country with the rest of the world.

Each country will continue to be placed at the top priority in the other's foreign policy. The deep trust and close relationship between the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party will continue to be consolidated and serve as the unshakable solid foundation of Viet Nam-Laos relations; security-defense cooperation will be enhanced to become a more solid pillar.

Vietnamese teacher devotes to teaching in Lao mountainous area

At the same time, economic cooperation, trade, investment, science and technology will be strengthened by the two sides to achieve greater efficiency, linking the two economies towards independence, self-reliance, and commensurate with the important interests of the two sides. The political and diplomatic relations between the two countries are very good. That cooperation will certainly help the two countries overcome the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to develop sustainably.

In the field of foreign affairs, Viet Nam and Laos carry out a policy that has many similarities, namely peace, friendship, independence, and self-reliance. Together, the two countries strive to become responsible members of the international community. Accordingly, the two countries will maintain regular exchanges and close coordination, strong support for each other at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, the Mekong sub-regional mechanisms, especially in the ASEAN regional issues related to connectivity, economic development, water security, to narrow the development gap.

Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung expressed his firm belief that the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos will be intensified in quality, with vigorous development and stability on both bilateral and multilateral levels in the coming years, as affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh that “the relationship of the two countries Viet Nam-Laos is deeper than the river Hong Ha-Cuu Long” and as the wishes of President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong that “Viet Nam-Laos relations are forever stronger than mountains, deeper than rivers, more fragrant than any of the most scented flowers”.

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