Vietnam, Laos hold high-level talks

Talks were held between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong and his Lao counterpart Bounnhang Vorachith in Vientiane on February 24 following an official welcome ceremony for the top Vietnamese leader.

Bounnhang Vorachith said Nguyen Phu Trong's first overseas trip in his capacity as the top leader of the both Vietnamese Party and State has demonstrated the sound friendship, special solidarity, close-knit relations, mutual trust and all-around cooperation between the two countries.

He thanked the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their great support during the Lao cause of national defence and construction, and underscored that the achievements Vietnam has recorded in the Doi Moi (reform) process as well as its increased stature and prestige in the international arena have offered valuable experience to the Lao Party, State and people in fulfilling the tasks of national protection and construction.

He expressed his belief that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people will achieve greater successes in the cause of national construction and development, thereby fulfilling the target of basically turning Vietnam into a modernity-oriented industrialized nation by 2030.

In reply, the top Vietnamese leader congratulated the Lao people on the achievements they have recorded over the past 30 years of reform, while affirming Vietnam’s strong and whole-hearted support for the cause of national renewal, defence and construction in Laos.

He thanked the Lao Party, State and people for their huge support and assistance to Vietnam during the past struggles for national liberation as well as the present cause of national construction and defence.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction the special solidarity and loyal ties between the two Parties and people which were built and fostered by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong, and generations of leaders and people of the two countries. They also affirmed their determination to preserve and promote the tradition as an invaluable asset of the two nations.

They underlined the need for both nations to join hands to promote the tradition of solidarity, cooperation and mutual support, and advance their revolutionary cause towards socialism and consented to augment the Vietnam-Laos comprehensive cooperation for mutual benefits.

In that spirit, the two sides consented to continue boosting political ties, maintaining high-level meetings, and intensifying exchanges between agencies, organizations and localities, especially those along the shared borderline.

It is essential to increase the exchange of information and experience in Party building, particularly preparations for Party congresses at all levels towards the National Congresses of the CPV and LPRP, they emphasized.

Stronger focus should be put on experience in political and ideological education, cyber security, prevention of degradation and self-evolution, improvement of the Party’s supervision and inspection capacity, socio-economic development, especially macro-economic stabilization, and expansion of international relations, they said.

They also agreed to beef up cooperation in national defence and security, and work together to build a shared border of stability and sustainability. Greater efforts will be made to advance cooperation in economics, culture, education-training, healthcare and science-technology, they added.

The Vietnamese and Lao economies should offer mutual support, especially in transport, electricity, telecommunications and tourism, they said, whilst stressing that greater attention should be paid to cooperation in high-quality human resources development.

Both host and guest noted with pleasure that Vietnam and Laos have shared common viewpoints on regional and international issues and called on both sides to strengthen their closer coordination and mutual support, especially within the cooperation framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations and Mekong Sub-region mechanism.

The pair pledged joint efforts to sustainably use and manage Mekong River water resources, tighten their cooperation as well as coordination with third parties within the framework of the East-West Corridor and other multilateral cooperation programs and projects.

The two leaders highlighted the significance of maintaining peace, stability, security and safety in the East Sea, supported ASEAN’s role and principles, and agreed to accelerate the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They affirmed both nations’ willingness to join hands with relevant sides to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea and soon reach a practical and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea as a contribution to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world as a whole.

Party General Secretary and President Trong thanked Laos for supporting Vietnam’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure, and the country’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.

Immediately after the talks, Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and his Lao counterpart Bounhang Vorachith witnessed the signing ceremony of a number of cooperation documents between several ministries and sectors of the two countries.

On this occasion, Trong invited Bounnhang Vorachith and his wife to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time and his invitation was graciously accepted.