Prime Minister hosts reception for Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith

Congratulating Laos on the 47th National Day (December 2), Prime Minister Pham said the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam 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 1.4 billion USD in the first 10 months of 2022.

The two countries have increased high-level mutual visits and meetings, boosted bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and successfully organized many activities during the Viet Nam - 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.

Prime Minister Pham 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 Viet Nam 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 Viet Nam - 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, defense - 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.

* The same day, Prime Minister Pham also hosted a reception for Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Chansamone Chanyalath who is in Viet Nam to attend the Viet Nam International Defence Expo 2022.

Pham affirmed that defense cooperation has been one of the most important pillars of the relationship between the two countries.

Accelerating defense cooperation with Laos becomes one of Viet Nam's top priorities, the Government chief added./.