Working delegations assess preparation work in Sop Bao District, Houaphanh Province, Laos. — Photo qdnd.vn

HÀ NỘI — Working delegations of the Defence Ministries of Việt Nam and Laos on Monday inspected preparations for the second Việt Nam-Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange in Mộc Châu district of Việt Nam’s Sơn La province and Sop Bao district in Laos’s Houaphanh province.

Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến and his Lao counterpart Sen. Lt. Gen. Vongkham Phommakone inspected several places where the programme’s activities will be organised, including Long Sap border gate, a school where the two ministers will visit, and the venue for the talks between the two countries’ delegations will take place.

They also gave recommendations in terms of protocol, logistics, transport, security and safety, and health care towards the best preparation to make the programme a success.

The officers agreed that the exchange programme will be an opportunity to foster the close relationship between the two countries, and promote the sense of responsibility of their border protection forces to coordinate more closely and effectively in safeguarding the borderline and markers, fighting crimes, helping people to ease poverty, and building a shared borderline of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and mutual development.

The second Việt Nam-Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange is scheduled to take place in the two above-mentioned districts in late October.

Việt Nam and Laos share a border of more than 2,300km, running through 10 provinces of each nation. — VNS