Viet Nam-Lao special relations continue to be nurtured
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President Nguyen Xuan Phuc gave the picture of Viet Nam's Presidential Palace to the Chairman of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane. (Photo: VNA) |
This is the first overseas visit by the Lao official in his new position, and also the first in-person by a foreign parliament leader to Viet Nam from the beginning of its 15th tenure.
Viet Nam and Laos are close neighbours. The two peoples have traditional relations of long-lasting friendship. In July 1962, the two countries agreed to establish bilateral diplomatic relations, marking a new milestone.
During Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Laos in February 2019, the two sides agreed to lift the traditional relationship into the great traditional one. Bilateral cooperation has become more diverse, and been unceasingly consolidated and updated in terms of both quantity and quality.
In economic cooperation, Viet Nam is now one of the top three investors in Laos. To intensify the mutual support, the two countries are currently accelerating economic and transport connectivity projects. Cooperation in education and training remains a priority field.
To help with Laos' sustainable development, Viet Nam has been facilitating Laos in using Piers 1, 2, and 3 at Vung Ang port; providing assistance to Laos in building key projects like schools, hospitals and roads. A point of note is that on August 10, 2021, Viet Nam officially handed to Laos the new office of its National Assembly after four years of construction.
Facing the global pandemic, Viet Nam was the first to send a special flight transporting medical equipment and senior experts to help Laos fight the second wave of the COVID-19.
Over the recent years, the relations between the two National Assemblies have been continuing to be accelerated, which has made important contributions to the comprehensive relationship between the two countries. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders of the two law-making bodies have been maintaining their regular contacts in flexible forms.
The official visit to Viet Nam by Saysomphone Phomvihane manifests the special political trust and importance from the Party, State and National Assembly of Laos as well as from him personally to Viet Nam and the bilateral relations.
In the coming visit, the two sides will continue pushing up the implementation of the agreement on the cooperation between the two parliaments, exchange ideas on orientations and measures to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and parliaments in the time to come; and share experience in implementing the functions of the National Assemblies in the fields of making laws, supervising and deciding on important issues of the countries.