Vientiane (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) CentralCommittee and President Nguyen Phu Trong held talks with his Lao counterpart Bounnhang Vorachith in Vientiane onFebruary 24 following an official welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader.

General Secretary ofthe Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President Bounnhang Vorachith said the firstoverseas trip by Nguyen Phu Trong in his new position as the top leader of theboth Party and State of Vietnam has reflected the great friendship, specialsolidarity, close relations, mutual trust and comprehensive cooperation betweenthe two Parties, States and people of Laos and Vietnam.

The visit is also a great source of encouragement for the Lao people to successfullycomplete the resolution adopted at the 10th National Congress of thePRP, he said.

The Lao leader thanked the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their hugesupport during the Lao cause of national defence and construction, and stressedthat the achievements Vietnam has recorded in the Doi Moi (reform) process aswell as its increased position and prestige in the international arena haveoffered valuable experience to the Lao Party, State and people in fulfilling thetasks of national protection and construction.

He expressed his belief that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamesepeople will reap greater successes in the cause of national construction anddevelopment, thus realising the target of basically turning Vietnam into amodernity-oriented industrialised nation by 2030.

The Vietnamese leader congratulated the Lao people on the achievementsthey have obtained over the past 30 years of reform, and affirmed Vietnam’s strongand comprehensive support for the cause of national renewal, defence andconstruction in Laos.

He thanked the Lao Party, State and people for their wholeheartedsupport and assistance to Vietnam during the past struggle for national liberationas well as the present cause of national construction and defence.

Both leaders noted their pride of the special solidarity and loyal ties betweenthe two Parties and people which were built and fostered by Presidents Ho ChiMinh and Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong, and generations of leaders and peopleof the two countries. They affirmed their resolve to preserve and promote the traditionas an invaluable asset of the two nations.  

The leaders pledged to continuously consolidate and develop the greatfriendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the twoParties, States and people of Vietnam and Laos, considering this a crucialfactor to ensure the success of national construction and defence in eachcountry.

Amidst the complex development of the international and regionalsituation, the Parties, States and people of the two countries need to joinhands to carry forward the tradition of solidarity, cooperation and mutualsupport, and advance their revolutionary cause towards socialism, they said.

The leaders agreed to step up the Vietnam-Laos comprehensive cooperationon the principles of equality and mutual benefits, with priorities given toeach other suitable with the special relationship.

In that spirit, the two sides agreed to continue strengthening politicalcollaboration, maintaining high-level meetings, expanding exchanges betweenagencies, organisations and localities, especially those along the sharedborderline.

They emphasised the need to increase the exchange of information andexperience in Party building, particularly preparations for Party congresses atall levels towards the National Congresses of the CPV and LPRP.

Experience in political and ideological education, cyber security,prevention of degradation and self-evolution, improvement of the Party’ssupervision and inspection capacity, socio-economic development, especiallymacro economic stabilisation, and expansion of international relations shouldalso be exchanged between the two sides, they said.

They also concurred to boost cooperative ties in national defence andsecurity, and work together to build a shared border of stability and sustainability.

The two sides will also forge affiliation in economy, culture,education-training, healthcare and science-technology, while creating a morefavourable legal corridor for cooperation across spheres.

The Vietnamese and Lao economies should support each other, particularlyin transport, electricity, telecommunications and tourism, they said, stressingthat cooperation in high-quality human resources development should receivemore attention from both sides.

The leaders noted with pleasure that Vietnam and Laos have shared unitedviewpoints on regional and international issues. They held that the two sides shouldcontinue their close coordination and mutual support, especially within the cooperationframework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the UnitedNations and Mekong Sub-region mechanism.

The two countries will join hands to sustainably use and manage MekongRiver water resources, tighten their cooperationas well as coordination withthird parties within the framework of the East-West Corridor and othermultilateral cooperation programmes and projects, the leaders promised.

Both leaders highlighted the significance of maintaining peace,stability, security and safety in the East Sea, supported ASEAN’s role and principles,and agreed to promote the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peacefulmeasures in line with international law, including the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They affirmed that Vietnam and Laos will join hands with relevant sidesto 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) inthe East Sea, thus contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability,cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

On this occasion, Party General Secretary and President Trong thankedLaos for backing Vietnam’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat in the UNSecurity Council for the 2020-2021 tenure, and the country’s ASEAN Chairmanshipin 2020.

He invited Bounnhang Vorachith and his spouse to visit Vietnam at a convenienttime. The Lao leader accepted the invitation with pleasure.


Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperationdocuments between Vietnamese and Lao ministries and agencies, including acooperation agreement between the two finance ministries for the 2019-2020period, a cooperation agreement on developing power and mine projects betweenthe two governments, and another agreement between the two governments onbuilding and exploiting the Vung Ang-Vientiane railway./.