Vietnam-Laos Trade Turnover Sustained Despite Covid-19

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue welcomes Saysomphone Phomvihane, Politburo member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and Chairman of the National Assembly (L). Photo: VOV

The Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent policy always places great importance on giving top priority to preserving and promoting the close-knit relationship between the nation and Laos, said National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue during talks held on Dec. 6 with Saysomphone Phomvihane, Politburo member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and Chairman of the National Assembly.

The talks came following a welcome ceremony for the top Laotian legislator and his entourage, reported VNA.

NA Chairman Hue described the Lao top legislator's visit as an important milestone in the Vietnam-Laos ties, contributing to reinforcing and promoting the special friendship and comprehensive partnership between the two Parties, States and peoples as well as the two NAs in particular.

This is along with boosting links between the two NAs in a more practical and effective manner.

The Vietnamese side has always wholeheartedly supported Laotian renewal, and its national defence and construction process, NA Chairman Hue emphasised.

The leading Laotian legislator lauded great and comprehensive achievements that the Vietnamese people have gained under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam amid Covid-19. He also hailed the success of the second session of the 15th Vietnamese legislature.

He thanked the Party, State, localities and people of Vietnam for offering support to Laos in finance, vaccines and medical supplies to help the country fight Covid-19.

An overview of the talks. Photo: VOV

Both sides agreed that the political- diplomacy partnership between the two countries has been strengthened through all channels. Particularly, the two countries coordinated closely to organize the official visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in June and the Lao visit by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in August this year.

Meanwhile, bilateral collaboration in defense, security, trade, investment, energy, transport connectivity, education and training, Covid prevention and control, as well as cooperation among localities have been fostered, they noted.

They shared delight at the growing comprehensive cooperation between the two legislative bodies over the year. They stressed the need to sketch out collaboration orientations in the future to lay the foundation for the consideration of the signing of a new cooperation agreement, focusing on the implementation of major tasks set in the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Strategy for the 2021-2030 period and the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Agreement in the 2021-2025 period.

The two NA leaders agreed to continue to promote the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia tripartite collaboration on the Development Triangle with thematic workshops on at the NA committee level. They concurred to suggest the Cambodian Senate and NA consider the organization of an in-person meeting among the top legislators of the three countries if necessary.

NA Chairman Hue and his Lao counterpart Xaysomphone Phomvihane agreed to jointly hold activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos diplomatic relations, 45 years of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation as well as the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year in 2022.

President of the Lao National Assembly Xaysomphone Phomvihane signs the Golden Book at the Vietnamese National Assembly's traditional room. Photo: VNA

They agreed to continue working closely at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, such as the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF).

Moving forward, they will hold meetings on the sidelines of conferences, along with co-ordinating and comparing notes on international and regional issues of shared concern.

As part of the occasion, the two NA leaders witnessed a ceremony aimed at handing over medical equipment worth US$ 1 million by the Vietnamese NA to its Lao counterpart in support of their ongoing Covid-19 containment efforts.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a banquet on the same day evening for his Lao counterpart and the Lao NA high-ranking delegation who are on a Vietnam visit from Dec. 6-8.

On the occasion, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung presented VND 5 billion (USD 217,000) in support of Laos’ fight against the pandemic.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and President of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane. Photo: VNA

The leading Laotian legislator also has meetings with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Two countries' leaders said they were delighted to see that the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries have been increasingly strengthened in all areas, from politics, diplomacy, national defense-security, to economy, trade, investment, socio-culture, and education-training.

President Phuc affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of prioritising and developing special solidarity with Laos; and suggested the two nations work closely together and support each other at international forums, especially at the United Nations and ASEAN.

Phuc highly appreciated and thanked Saysomphone for choosing Vietnam as the first country to visit in his capacity as President of the Lao NA, showing that the Lao Party, NA and Saysomphone have attached importance to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told the President of the Lao National Assembly that Vietnam always stands side by side and stays ready to help Laos, within its ability, to push back the Covid-19 pandemic.

PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and President of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane. Photo: VOV

The Party, NA, Government, local administrations, and the Vietnamese people had supported and helped Laos with medical equipment worth more than US$6.3 million, thereby making an important contribution to pandemic prevention and control in the neighbouring country. In 2020, despite facing plenty of difficulties, the nation donated more than VND 930 billion to Laos as a means of helping them to boost socio-economic development locally.

Both leaders agreed to effectively carry out high-level agreements and prepare for the upcoming 44th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Inter-Governmental Committee, continue working closely together to fight Covid-19, strengthen national defence-security collaboration, step up economic, trade and investment ties as well as accelerating infrastructure projects such as Hanoi – Vientiane expressway and Vung Ang 1, 2, 3 seaports.

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