Senior Lieutenant General Trịnh Văn Quyết, secretary of the Party Central Committee and director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People’s Army (right) greets Lieutenant General Vongsone Inpanphim, deputy minister of National Defence and director of the General Department of Politics of the Lao People’s Army, who is on an official visit to Việt Nam from August 10–14. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

HÀ NỘI — Senior Lieutenant General Trịnh Văn Quyết, secretary of the Party Central Committee and director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People’s Army, on Monday called for Việt Nam and Laos to further strengthen cooperation mechanisms, including defence policy dialogues, border management and protection, and workforce training, in an increasingly practical and effective way.

He made the remarks during talks with Lieutenant General Vongsone Inpanphim, deputy minister of National Defence and director of the General Department of Politics of the Lao People’s Army, who is on an official visit to Việt Nam from August 10 to 14.

Earlier that day, Quyết chaired a welcome ceremony for Inpanphim and his entourage.

At the talks, Quyết reaffirmed Việt Nam’s consistent stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), stressing that all disputes should be resolved by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He also underscored the need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and to accelerate negotiations for an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in line with international law.

On defence cooperation, he noted that based on signed documents and agreements, the two sides have effectively promoted education on the great friendship and special solidarity between the two Parties, States, armies and peoples.

Delegation exchanges at all levels have been maintained, while cooperation mechanisms, including defence policy dialogues, young officers’ exchanges, border management and protection, and workforce training have yielded increasingly substantive results. The search, repatriation and burial of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos have also been given due attention.

Quyết expressed his sincere thanks to the Lao Ministry of National Defence for continuing to support and send a contingent of Lao People’s Army troops to participate in the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and Việt Nam’s National Day on September 2. He said the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence looks forward to welcoming Lao defence leaders and the Director of the Lao General Department of Politics to the celebrations.

At the talks between the two general departments of politics. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

For his part, Inpanphim expressed strong agreement with Quyết’s views at the talks, especially regarding the outcomes of defence cooperation between the two general departments of politics.

Looking ahead, both sides will prioritise enhancing high-level meetings and contacts. They will continue close coordination in educating people, particularly younger generations, about the history, significance and importance of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and Laos.

They will also expand cooperation in press, communications and social media management through experience-sharing, training, professional development and expert exchanges. In addition, the two sides will enhance exchanges of delegations at all levels and promote cooperation mechanisms, including young officers’ exchanges, women’s military exchanges, military–civilian twinning and annual conferences between military zones, services and border guard forces of the two countries.

They also underlined the importance of cooperation in training and developing a skilled workforce, along with continuing the coordination and direction of search, collection and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos during wartime.

The two sides agreed to work closely to successfully organise the annual meeting of the defence ministers of Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia later this year, which is set to be hosted by Laos. — VNS