Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng (left) and General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith had talks in Beijing on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

BEIJING — Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng met with General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing, China, on Thursday.

At the meeting, Thưởng affirmed that Việt Nam always attaches much importance to its relations with Laos, and considers the neighbouring country a priority in its foreign policy. He described the Việt Nam-Laos ties as an invaluable common asset of the two peoples, and an exemplary and pure relationship, which is rare in international relations.

Thongloun, for his part, said Laos treasures its relations with Việt Nam, and has made tireless efforts to nurture and develop the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation in a more sustainable and deeper way. He also promised to make contributions to bolstering the ties between the two Parties and States.

Amidst global complicated changes which posed both opportunities and challenges, the two leaders agreed to continue promoting their close political relations, joining hands to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development, and focusing on the effective implementation of high-level agreements, deals and cooperation plans between the two Parties and States.

Along with meticulous preparations for high-level activities as well as sound implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, the two leaders agreed to step up defence-security cooperation, which is a pillar in the bilateral relations.

They highlighted the need to maintain cultural, sport and tourism exchange mechanisms, and reached consensus on carrying out the project on improving the quality and efficiency of the Việt Nam-Laos cooperation in education and human resources development during 2021-30.

Besides, they concurred to remove bottlenecks for important economic-trade-investment projects, and boost collaboration in the fields of science, innovation, digital economy and e-commerce, among others.

They affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation and connectivity among Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, especially in economy-trade, infrastructure, tourism and cultural exchanges.

The leaders also agreed to promote coordination to ensure that Laos will successfully accomplish its role as the ASEAN Chair in 2024, helping promote the central role of ASEAN and bring practical benefits to the ASEAN people. — VNS