Building a Border of Friendship: 7th Vietnam-Laos Conference Opens

The officials chair the event. Source: daidoanket.vn

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) co-held their 7th international conference on the nations’ border of peace, friendship, and cooperation for mutual development in Laos’ Savannakhet province on November 22, Vietnam News Agency and Dai Doan Ket newspaper reported.

Attending the conference on the Vietnamese side were Vice President cum General Secretary of the VFF Central Committee Le Tien Chau; representatives of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO); Vietnam Border Guard Command; Vietnam - Laos Friendship Association; leaders of the VFF in 10 provinces sharing the border with 10 provinces of Laos along with leaders of the departments and units of the VFF Central Committee.

On the Lao side, there were Khampheuy Bouddavieng, Standing Vice President of the LFNC Central Committee; Chanpheng Soutthivong, Vice President of the LFNC Central Committee; leaders of the Party Committee of Savannakhet province; National Border Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Border Guard Command; leaders of the LFNC Committees in 10 border provinces as well as departments and units of the LFNC Central Committee.

VFF Central Committee Vice Chairman and Secretary General Le Tien Chau speaks at the event. Source: daidoanket.vn

Speaking at the conference, VFF Central Committee Vice Chairman and Secretary General Le Tien Chau affirmed that, after 5 years, the joint communiqué of the 6th conference on building the Vietnam-Laos border of peace for mutual development in 2017, was implemented by both parties and achieved practical results.

From 2017 to 2022, the VFF Central Committee organized 5 high-level delegations to visit and work in Laos; 33 times sent VFF leaders to join the high-level delegations of Party and State leaders to visit and work in Laos.

At the same time, 11 high-ranking delegations of the LFNC came to visit and exchange working experiences, and the delegations came to study and exchange experiences with the VFF Central Committee.

From 2020, in the context of the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to trying to maintain direct high-level delegation visits, the front organizations have maintained cooperative relations through various channels such as phone calls and virtual meetings.

Locally, the front organizations of provinces sharing a common border regularly exchange delegations, strengthen cooperation, exchange experiences, train staff with specific activities. The organization of rotational talks, signing and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding has always been concerned by the provincial Fronts of the two countries and achieved high results. In addition, the twin districts, communes and villages on both sides of the border continues to be maintained, expanded and effectively implemented.

According to the Standing Vice President of the LFNC Central Committee, the front committees in 10 Lao provinces paid great attendition to the Party's foreign policy, the policies and regulations of the border area of ​​the two Governments as well as the cooperation agreement and the joint communiqué of the 6th conference, directing local departments raise border residents’ awareness of the importance of building a border of peace, friendship and solidarity.

The provinces sharing the border have regularly discussed the situation of border management, jointly protected landmarks and border security, and created favorable conditions for the development of residents' lives on both sides of the border; creatively solved border-related issues together.

Standing Vice President of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee, Khampheuy Bouddavieng, delivers his speech. Source: daidoanket.vn

After hearing a report on the implementation of the joint statement of the 6th conference in 2017, the sides reached a series of agreements.

In the spirit of friendship and special solidarity, they will increase communications campaigns on the nations’ history, shared border, laws and policies, and cooperation activities and programmes to raise awareness among the public, particularly the youth, about the special ties of Vietnam and Laos.

They agreed to step up education and communication work to help people in border areas to be alert to acts of sabotage in contribution to ensuring their nations’ defense-security, solidarity, and friendship.

The front organizations of Vietnamese and Lao border provinces that share a border were tasked with promoting patriotic emulation campaigns and mobilising human resources for socio-economic development; ensuring children’s access to school; increasing people-to-people exchanges; and effectively implementing twin relations programmes, among others.

The Vietnamese and Lao sides held that they will encourage and connect businesses and investors to invest in border areas’ infrastructure, economic zones, and tourism, serving job creation and providing better incomes for locals.

It is also necessary to jointly hold annual trade fairs of Vietnamese and Lao high-quality products, listen to public feedback on border building, and support the issuance of documents for undocumented migrants and married couples in the countries’ border areas following signed agreements, they said.

The two sides pledged to coordinate in collecting opinions and aspirations of Vietnamese and Lao people to serve the building of a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

A joint communiqué signed by the VFF and LFNC Central Committees about the outcomes of the international conference on building the Vietnam-Laos border of peace for mutual development for the 2022-2025 period. Source: daidoanket.vn

Closing of the conference, VFF Central Committee Vice Chairman and Secretary General Chau suggested that, from the content of the joint communiqué, the two front organizations should widely disseminate the results of the conference via the press and media of each country and in the locality so that officials, party members and people of Vietnam and Laos know and understand, thereby actively participating in activities of the two fronts, contributing to the successful implementation of the joint communiqué by the VFF and LFNC Central Committees for the 2022 - 2025 period.

At the same time, continue to effectively carry out information for all classes of people about the tradition of friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam - Laos; continue to coordinate in organizing practical activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Laos and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2022.

Along with that, the provincial front committees of the two countries proposed specific and appropriate solutions for each locality to effectively implement the contents of the joint communiqué.

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