Armed forces of Son La, northern Lao provinces bolster cooperation
Armed forces of Vietnam’s northwestern province of Son La and Laos’s northern provinces held a meeting on May 4 to review bilateral cooperation over the past years.
Chairman of the Son La provincial People’s Committee Cam Ngoc Minh speaks at the meeting on May 4 (Photo: VNA)
Son La (VNA) – Armedforces of Vietnam’s northwestern province of Son La and Laos’s northernprovinces held a meeting on May 4 to review bilateral cooperation over the pastyears.
The meeting in Son La was among activities tocelebrate 55 years of the neighbouring countries’ diplomatic ties (September 5,1962) and 40 years of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship andCooperation (July 18, 1977).
Chairman of the Son La provincial People’sCommittee Cam Ngoc Minh said his province shares a 250-km borderline withHouaphan and Luang Prabang provinces of Laos. It has set up friendship andsigned cooperation documents in all fields with the Lao provinces since 1969.
Son La has maintained delegation exchanges withthe Lao provinces to share experience, carry out cooperation activities, andenhance bilateral ties.
In 2016, it continued to share information,worked with the Lao side to deal with arising security problems, and stepped upcommunications to encourage border residents to comply with the Vietnam-Laosagreement on national border regulations, he noted.
Minh highly valued the defence-securitycooperation between the armed forces of Son La and the northern Lao provinces,adding that it has created a favourable environment for their respectivesocio-economic development, along with the two countries’ special solidarityand friendship.
At the meeting, participants highlightedcoordination between the two sides’ armed forces to manage entry and exitactivities, fight drug crimes, smuggling and trade fraud, and preventepidemics.
They have ensured security and safety for theincrease and upgrade of 125 border markers planted along Son La’s border withHouaphan and Luang Prabang. The armed forces have also worked closely withtheir respective local authorities to raise public awareness of border-relatedagreements and regulations.-VNA
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Chairman of the Son La provincial People’s Committee Cam Ngoc Minh speaks at the meeting on May 4 (Photo: VNA) 
