Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính received visiting Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Congratulating Laos on the 47th National Day (December 2), PM Chính said the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and Laos are unique in the world, asking the two sides to continue educating younger generations on the relations, which are a priceless asset of both peoples.

He also called on the two countries to coordinate with each other to develop independent and self-reliant economies that extensively, substantively, and effectively integrate into the world.

Saleumxay Kommasith, who is in Việt Nam to co-chair a conference disseminating policies and laws to exemplary leaders of villages in the countries’ border areas, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for consistently supporting and standing side by side with their Lao counterparts.

He said the dissemination conference, held in Nghệ An Province from December 5 to 7, would help further step up cooperation between border localities of Việt Nam and Laos, especially in infrastructure building, health care, human resources development, and safeguarding of security, order, and safety in border areas.

At the meeting, both host and guest expressed their delight at significant achievements in the countries’ cooperation, including the strong growth in bilateral trade that reached US$1.4 billion in the first ten months of 2022.

The two countries have increased high-level mutual visits and meetings, boosted bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and successfully organised many activities during the Việt Nam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022, which marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 45 years since the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, they said.

PM Chính and Deputy PM Saleumxay Kommasith shared the view that amid the complex international and regional situations, it is necessary to keep joint efforts to unceasingly strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and Laos.

They also agreed to properly carry out the remaining high-level delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms in the Solidarity and Friendship Year, including the 45th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee and the closing ceremony of the Solidarity and Friendship Year.

The two sides will push ahead with cooperation pillars such as politics, defence - security, and economy - trade - investment. They will also focus on tackling bottlenecks and problems to accelerate key projects while improving the effectiveness of cooperation in human resources training, culture, and people-to-people exchange, they added. — VNS