A seminar was held in Phan Thiet city, the south central province of Binh Thuan, to look into the five and a half decades of the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the National Academy of Politics and Public Administration of Laos, and the Lao Academy of Social Sciences.

Secretary of the Binh Thuan provincial Party Committee Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the seminar. (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh academy Le Quoc Ly said in the initial period of the fight against colonialism, the two countries formed a military alliance to combat the common enemy. Volunteer soldiers of Vietnam came to join the Pathet Lao armed forces in the struggle.

The two sides’ undaunted fighting spirit, sacrifice and close coordination took the countries’ resistance war against colonialism to glorious victory, which was marked with the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954, he noted.

Thongsalith Mangnomek, Director of the Laos’s National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, said the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the Communist Party of Vietnam have maintained solid relations as seen in the issuance of harmonious policies on the countries’ solidarity. The cooperation and special solidarity between the two Parties and States are flourishing with the assurance of leaders of both countries.

In the face of complex and unpredictable global situation and each country’s development demands, Vietnam and Laos give the top priority to promoting their traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation to a new level under the motto of pragmatism, quality and effectiveness.

They also agreed to bring economic ties on a par with the sound political relations, and enhance Government-to-Government, locality-to-locality and business-to-business partnerships to boost connectivity and mutual support between the two economies, he added.

It was reported at the seminar that Vietnam’s investment in Laos has amounted to nearly USD 4 billion since 1989. Bilateral trade exceeded USD 800 million in 2016. Vietnam has continually supported its neighbouring country in poverty reduction and national development. The two sides have also worked to bolster transport connectivity and facilitate trade and investment cooperation./.

VNF/VNA