Vietnam-Laos Cooperation in Border Management Boosted

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith in Hanoi on December 7. Photo: VNA

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received visiting Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith in Hanoi on December 7, VNA reported.

Congratulating Laos on the 47th National Day (December 2), PM Chinh said the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos are unique in the world, asking the two sides to continue educating younger generations on the relations, which are a priceless asset of both peoples.

He also called on the two countries to coordinate with each other to develop independent and self-reliant economies that extensively, substantively, and effectively integrate into the world.

Saleumxay Kommasith, who is in Vietnam to co-chair a conference disseminating policies and laws to exemplary leaders of villages in the countries’ border areas, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for consistently supporting and standing side by side with their Lao counterparts.

He said the dissemination conference, held in Nghe An province from December 5 to 7, would help further step up cooperation between border localities of Vietnam and Laos, especially in infrastructure building, health care, human resources development, and safeguarding of security, order, and safety in border areas.

At the meeting, both host and guest expressed their delight at significant achievements in the countries’ cooperation, including the strong growth in bilateral trade that reached USD 1.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2022.

The two countries have increased high-level mutual visits and meetings, boosted bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and successfully organised many activities during the Vietnam - Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022, which marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 45 years since the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, they said.

PM Chinh and Deputy PM Saleumxay Kommasith shared the view that amid the complex international and regional situations, it is necessary to keep joint efforts to unceasingly strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

They also agreed to properly carry out the remaining high-level delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms in the Solidarity and Friendship Year, including the 45th meeting of the Vietnam - Laos Inter-governmental Committee and the closing ceremony of the Solidarity and Friendship Year.

The two sides will push ahead with cooperation pillars such as politics, defence - security, and economy - trade - investment. They will also focus on tackling bottlenecks and problems to accelerate key projects while improving the effectiveness of cooperation in human resources training, culture, and people-to-people exchange, they added.

Conference to disseminate knowledge on policies and laws for village chiefs of Vietnam-Laos border: overview of the event. Photo: WVR/Duiy Quang

The conference to raise knowledge about policies and laws related to the Vietnam-Laos border opened on Decembẻ 6 in Nghe An, gathering nearly 200 village chiefs from 20 border provinces of the two nations.

More than 100 clusters of villages in both countries have established twin relations, which enables them to not only promote the friendship and exchange across the border but also keep good monitoring of the border line and security and social order.

The presence of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai and Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith along with many high-ranking officials at the conference reflects the recognition of the contribution of border residents in general and village chiefs in particular to border management work.

In addition to presenting reports and discussing information at the conference, participants joined cultural exchange events and toured popular tourist and historical sites in Nghe An.

Visiting the Lang Sen (Sen Village) relic cluster, the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh on December 7, they were moved by stories about the life and revolutionary career of the Vietnamese leader, and his devotion to the friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.

Nearly 200 leaders of villages in 10 Vietnamese and 10 Laos localities along the shared border on December 7 visited the Kim Lien Relic Site in President Ho Chi Minh’s hometown of Nam Dan district of the central province of Nghe An, where they paid tribute to the late leader who laid the foundation for the special ties between Vietnam and Laos. Photo: VNA

Boun Thong, a village chief from Laos’ Xiangkhouang province, said that visiting the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh is a dream that comes true for him. He expressed his warm sentiments to the late leader who he described as a symbol of the Vietnam-Laos friendship.

Meanwhile, Thammavong Khola from Houaphan province said that Lao people have always had special sentiments for President Ho Chi Minh in particular and Vietnam in general.

After that, the delegates visited President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House, which is a gift from the Lao government to Nghe An. The site is keeping objects and images of President Ho Chi Minh and his close ties with the Party and State of Laos, especially President Kaysone Phomvihan and Prince Suphanuvong during the tirelessly struggle for peace of the two peoples.

Later the same day, the delegates visited the Nghe An Museum.

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