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| Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumsay Kommasith grants an interview to Vietna News Agency (Photo: VNA) |
The Lao Deputy PM noted that this will be the first visit to Laos by PM Chinh since he took office, during which the Vietnamese leader will attend the 45th meeting of the Laos-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee and a ceremony to summarise the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022.
The activities have an important meaning to the Laos-Vietnam cooperative relations, and reaffirm the Party, State’s consistent policy towards Laos, he said.
He said that during the visit, PM Chinh will hold talks with his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone and meet with top leaders of Laos. This will provide a great opportunity for the two sides to seek ways to further foster their cooperation as well as solutions to deal with emerging problems and challenges in each country, the region and the world, he said.
Saleumsay said he believes that the visit will contribute to further strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, especially amid the unpredictable changes and challenges in the world currently.
Regarding the major contents of the 45th meeting of the Laos-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee, the Lao Deputy PM said that it will focus on evaluating the implementation of bilateral cooperation plans over the years.
They will also identify existing problems in bilateral cooperation, as well as risks that the two countries are facing, thus seeking solutions together and further bolstering their economic and trade partnership, making it on a par with the sound bilateral political relations.
Looking back at 2022, Saleumsay said that it was an important year for the two countries, as many activities were jointly organised to mark the 60th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations (September 5, 1962-2022) and 45 years of the bilateral Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (July 18, 1977-2022).
During the year, the two sides exchanged many visits at all levels, with a total of 115 delegations from the two sides, which manifested the close relations of leaders and people of the two countries, he said.
Besides, many activities were held from the central to local levels with the engagement of both public and private sectors, including the publishing of many important documents on the special relationship between the two countries, and many cultural activities. Those activities showed the warm sentiments of Vietnamese and Lao people towards each other, while educating the youth on the history of the bilateral relations as well as the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos both in the past and present, said the Lao official.
He said that during the visit, the two PMs will review all the activities and draw lessons so as to better organise such events in the future.
PM Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay an official visit to Laos from January 11-12 at the invitation of Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone./.