Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính welcomes General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in Hà Nội on Friday morning.  VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Friday morning met with General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and his spouse.

Thongloun Sisoulith was in Việt Nam leading a high-level delegation from the Lao Party, State and people to attend the funeral of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính expressed his deepest gratitude to them all, as well as to General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith and his spouse, for their heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the Vietnamese Party, State and people over the passing of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. He particularly noted the two-day national mourning ceremony held in Laos, exemplifying the unique, steadfast and special relationship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Chính highlighted that during his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng always valued the traditional special relationship between Việt Nam and Laos, working tirelessly to strengthen and develop it. He also thanked President Thongloun Sisoulith's spouse for her touching letter to General Secretary Trọng's family.

On behalf of the Lao Party, State and people, General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith expressed profound condolences and solidarity with the Vietnamese Party, as well as with General Secretary Trọng's family. He emphasised that the passing of General Secretary Trọng is a great loss, not only for Việt Nam, but also for Laos, which has lost a close comrade and a great friend. He acknowledged General Secretary Trọng's significant contributions to the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two. 

General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith praised General Secretary Trọng's leadership, which guided the Vietnamese people to achieve significant milestones in renewal, national construction and development, while elevating Việt Nam's role and position both in the region and internationally.

Prime Minister Chính congratulated Laos on its recent achievements and reaffirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State and people strongly and comprehensively support Laos in its renovation, defence and nation-building efforts. He expressed confidence that under the leadership of General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party will successfully implement the resolutions of its 11th National Congress and fulfill its international responsibilities in 2024.

Regarding the future direction of bilateral relations, both sides agreed to continue close coordination in effectively implementing high-level agreements, outcomes of the 46th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee and the results of State President Tô Lâm's visit to Laos. They emphasised the importance of high-level exchanges and cooperation in defence and security as key pillars.

Both sides also agreed to strengthen the legal framework for comprehensive cooperations, promote economic, trade and investment cooperation and facilitate business operations in both countries. They committed to addressing obstacles in key project implementation and prioritising partnerships in education, culture, tourism, banking and labour, while enhancing people-to-people exchanges. VNS