Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc receives Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during their meeting in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam always give top priority to special solidarity with Laos, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during their meeting in Hà Nội yesterday.

Kommasith is in Việt Nam for the annual consultation between the foreign ministries of the countries. 

Prime Minister Phúc said such consultations have proven effective in enhancing co-operation between the two ministries. 

He urged the two ministries to collaborate via the Intergovernmental Committee of Cooperation to address problems in a timely fashion. 

The PM lauded the efforts made by the two ministries to boosting the two nations’ relations, contributing to consolidating co-operative ties over the years.

Kommasith briefed Phúc on the outcomes of his working visit to Việt Nam, saying the two ministries reviewed agreements signed between leaders of the two parties, states, ministries, sectors and localities.

He stressed that the two sides acknowledged existing problems in bilateral co-operation and agreed on solutions to said problems.

Ministerial consultation

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and his Lao counterpart Lao Kommasith co-chaired the fourth Việt Nam-Laos ministerial-level consultation in Hà Nội on the same day.

Both sides expressed their delight at the extensive and effective development of bilateral ties, saying that high-level agreements and the plan on co-operation between the two governments for 2017 have been basically completed, laying a foundation for the implementation of the Việt Nam-Laos Bilateral Co-operation Agreement for 2016-2020. 

The two countries also completed a project on increasing and upgrading markers along their border, stepped up strategic economic connectivity, especially key transport projects, and improved the efficiency of the education-training partnership. 

The two foreign ministries will push the implementation of high-level agreements while making preparations for a Việt Nam visit by Lao Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Vorachith, a meeting between the two Politburos and the 40th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee in early 2018. 

On the occasion, the two ministers exchanged the Protocol on Việt Nam-Laos borderline and border markers and the Agreement on Việt Nam-Laos border and border checkpoint management regulations, which took effect on September 5, 2017 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. 

Minh asked the Lao government to continue providing support for Vietnamese nationals living in the country, especially in procedures on naturalisation, issuance of long-term residence cards and business registration. 

Kommasith, agreed with solutions proposed by Việt Nam to deepen bilateral ties in the future and promised to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese nationals, workers and firms in Laos. 

Laos will do its best to promote the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation with Việt Nam, he said. 

On regional and global issues of shared concern, the two sides agreed to work closely together at regional and global forums, offer mutual consultation via bilateral and multilateral channels and at all levels, contributing to further tightening bilateral ties in external relations. 

The two ministries also held the fourth exchange between their units. 

Kommasith presented Laos’s Labour Order, first class, to former Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng. — VNS