General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith (right) welcomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm during his state visit to Laos. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on Thursday concluded a successful state visit to Laos at the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Thongloun Sisoulith.

During the visit, General Secretary Lâm held talks with General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith; met with Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and National Assembly President Saysomphone Phomvihane; and received President of the Lao Front for National Construction Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune.

He witnessed the signing and exchange of cooperation documents; briefed the Lao side on the results of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam; and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and met with the Vietnamese community there.

He also laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldiers; attended a traditional wrist-tying ceremony; and participated in a state banquet hosted by the Lao Party General Secretary and President.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, while National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn met with his Lao counterpart Saysomphone Phomvihane. Leaders of several ministries and agencies of the two countries also held meetings to exchange information and strengthen bilateral cooperation.

At the meetings, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the deep, effective, and substantive progress achieved in Việt Nam – Laos cooperation in recent years, emphasising that these outcomes have not only directly contributed to each country’s development but have also made positive contributions to peace, stability, and development in the region.

The two sides agreed that alongside the positive results achieved so far, and based on existing agreements and cooperation mechanisms, they will continue to renew cooperation modalities and improve quality and effectiveness in a more substantive manner; closely link strategic vision with concrete actions; and further strengthen strategic coordination between the two Parties and the two States.

Based on major long-term strategic orientations, the two sides will continue to enhance information exchange and share experience in implementing the resolutions of each Party’s congress. At the same time, they will strengthen economic connectivity, prioritise resources, closely coordinate, and resolutely implement strategic projects to create new momentum for economic, trade, investment, and regional development cooperation, striving to raise bilateral trade turnover to US$10 billion in the coming period. Cooperation in education and training and human resource development, particularly high-quality human resources, was emphasised as a strategic and long-term pillar of bilateral cooperation.

In addition, the two sides agreed to further promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially among the younger generation, and to enhance cooperation in information and communications to widely disseminate the tradition of special Việt Nam – Laos solidarity, thereby strengthening mutual understanding and the spiritual and cultural foundation between the two countries’ people.

Within the framework of the visit, General Secretary Tô Lâm and Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith witnessed the exchange of important cooperation documents between ministries, agencies, localities, and relevant agencies of the two countries in the fields of education, justice, and locality-to-locality cooperation. These documents continue to provide a legal foundation and new impetus, concretising the substance of strategic cohesion in bilateral relations.

General Secretary Tô Lâm’s selection of Laos as the first country to visit in his capacity as General Secretary of the 14th CPV Central Committee, together with this state visit - joined by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn – holds special significance in the history of relations between the two countries.

The successful visit is of historic significance, contributing to the continued consolidation and advancement of the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion between Việt Nam and Laos in an increasingly substantive, effective, and in-depth manner, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries. — VNA/VNS