Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyễn Bá Hùng. — VNA/VNS Photo

VIENTIANE — The two-day official visit of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone to Việt Nam from today is expected to enhance the trust and close bond between the two Parties and Governments and contribute to making the Việt Nam-Laos great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation more substantial and effective, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyễn Bá Hùng.

In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the visit, Ambassador Hùng noted that the visit, the first official visit of Sonexay Siphandone to Việt Nam as the PM of Laos, and the 46th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee to be co-chaired by the two PMs, provide a chance for the two sides to update each other on the situation of each country and discuss international and regional issues of shared concern.

The two sides will also review and evaluate the implementation of high-level agreements and cooperation deals between the two governments that were reached at the 45th session of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee held in January 2023, and sketch out orientations and breakthrough measures to continue to make bilateral cooperation deeper, more effective and practical in 2024, said Ambassador Hùng.

The diplomat highlighted major achievements in the Việt Nam-Laos ties in 2023, particularly in the exchange of delegations at high level.

During the year, the two sides exchanged about 300 delegations and most key leaders of both countries made visits to each other or engaged in meetings on the sidelines of international events, contributing to strengthening mutual trust and reaching many important agreements with strategic meaning to the relations between the two countries in the long term.

The two sides have made security-defence cooperation a firm pillar of bilateral ties, and coordinated with Cambodia to successfully organise the first Việt Nam-Laos-Cambodia border defence friendship exchange.

Economic, scientific-technical, cultural and education cooperation continued to develop. Last year, Việt Nam maintained its position among the largest foreign investors in Laos, while bilateral trade recorded good growth, the ambassador noted, adding that collaboration among agencies of the Parties, National Assemblies as well as ministries, sectors, localities and businesses of the two sides was expanded and strengthened. Việt Nam and Laos also kept close coordination at international and regional forums, especially the UN, ASEAN and the Mekong Sub-Region.

Ambassador Hùng underlined that the two sides are paying great attention to boosting bilateral economic cooperation, which is defined as one of the important drivers for the bilateral partnership.

Economic cooperation between Việt Nam and Laos is being promoted in both quality and number, especially through the speeding up of major joint projects with strategic meaning, said the diplomat, noting that many Vietnamese-funded projects were put into operation last year, including Nongkhang airport in Houaphanh and Laos-Việt Nam Friendship Hospital in Xiengkhuang.

The Lao Government is working hard to further improve the country’s investment environment to meet the requirements of Vietnamese businesses, Hùng said.

The ambassador said he believes that the 46th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee will create breakthrough steps forwards in the bilateral economic partnership, making it deeper and more effective in the coming time, and turning economic cooperation a firm pillar of the Việt Nam-Laos ties along with other pillars of politics and security-defence. — VNS