Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting with his Laotian counterpart, Sonexay Siphandone, in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Prime Minister Chinh extended New Year greetings to Prime Minister Siphandone on the occasion of the Lao Bun Pi May festival and expressed gratitude for his attendance and speech at the ASEAN Future Forum. Prime Minister Chinh conveyed cordial greetings from General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other senior Vietnamese leaders to Prime Minister Siphandone and the Lao leadership.
Congratulating Laos on its remarkable achievements in national construction and development, Prime Minister Chinh expressed confidence that under the wise leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Laos will overcome all challenges and successfully implement the resolutions of the 11th National Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the Ninth Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan, contributing to improving people’s lives and enhancing Laos’s regional and international standing.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone expressed his delight at meeting Prime Minister Chinh again and congratulated Vietnam on its impressive socio-economic, defense-security, and foreign policy achievements.
He stressed that Laos closely follows and considers Vietnam’s achievements as a great source of encouragement for Laos’s own development. Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone conveyed greetings from senior Lao leaders to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other senior Vietnamese leaders.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone thanked Prime Minister Chinh for the invitation to the ASEAN Future Forum and welcomed his proposal to host the forum in 2024, when Laos chairs ASEAN. He believed that the forum would be a significant event, with the participation and contributions of government representatives, scholars, and researchers from the region and the world. He also highlighted Vietnam’s proactive and practical contributions to the ASEAN Community in the new context, helping to enhance Vietnam’s regional and global stature.
Regarding bilateral relations, the two Prime Ministers agreed that the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos have continued to develop positively, steadily, and effectively in all areas. Political relations have been continuously strengthened and fostered, with growing trust and close ties, as evidenced by regular exchanges of high-level visits, meetings, and contacts at all levels. Defense and security cooperation remained important pillars, becoming increasingly close and effective, contributing to ensuring defense, security, and social order in each country.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation continued to be strengthened with many positive developments. Bilateral trade in the first quarter of 2024 reached US$476.8 million, a 12% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Vietnam currently has 245 investment projects in Laos with a total registered capital of US$5.5 billion, maintaining its position as the third-largest investor in Laos.
Cooperation in other areas such as education, training, culture, science, technology, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has also been promoted with a focus on enhancing effectiveness and quality.
On this occasion, the two Prime Ministers discussed specific measures to effectively implement high-level agreements and the outcomes of the 46th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee.
Both sides agreed to continue increasing high-level visits and contacts, effectively implementing agreements between the two governments, including the Vietnam-Laos Strategic Partnership Agreement for 2021-2030, the Vietnam-Laos Bilateral Cooperation Agreement for 2021-2025, and the Agreement on the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Plan for 2024, and strengthening defense and security cooperation to effectively address non-traditional challenges, including border management, protection, and combating transnational crime.
To enhance the effectiveness of cooperation in the coming time, the two Prime Ministers agreed on the need to strengthen economic connectivity, especially in terms of institutions, finance, transport infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, and tourism. They pledged to support each other in building independent and self-reliant economies while actively and extensively integrating into the global economy in a substantial and effective manner. Both sides agreed to review and resolve all obstacles to create a favorable environment for Vietnamese businesses to invest and operate in Laos. They also committed to effectively implementing protocols and cooperation projects in education and human resource development.
The two Prime Ministers agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums such as ASEAN, the United Nations, and Mekong sub-regional mechanisms. Prime Minister Chinh affirmed that Vietnam will continue to support Laos in successfully fulfilling its international responsibilities in 2024, including its role as ASEAN Chair.
