Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai on July 16 hosted a reception for Lao Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Thonglun Sisoulith and Vientiane Party Committee Secretary and Mayor Soukanh Mahalat.

The Lao guests are in the city to attend a meeting celebrating the 50 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

At the meeting with the Lao Deputy PM, Hai spoke highly of the high-ranking Lao delegations’ participation in the anniversary, saying that their presence affirmed the traditional friendship, special ties and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and nations.

Hai affirmed the city has been making every effort to maintain and promote the friendship between the two countries. He also reviewed the effective cooperation between HCM City and Vientiane , Champasak province and other localities of Laos .

He stressed the event offers the two countries a chance to foster cooperation and tighten ties between the two countries and between HCM City and Lao localities in particular.

Thonglun Sisoulith highlighted the Laos-Vietnam special friendship and comprehensive cooperation. He spoke highly of the important role played by HCM City in cooperating with Lao localities.

At the meeting with Soukanh Mahalat, Hai said HCM City has been prompt in deploying its cooperation plan with the Lao capital of Vientiane , adding that it is necessary to raise the level of cooperation between the two cities, as well as between HCM City and other localities in the future.

He affirmed that the city always gives incentive policies to its enterprises to invest in Laos and said he hopes that both sides will facilitate HCM City enterprises’ investment in Vientiane .

Soukanh Mahalat asserted that Vientiane will do its best to raise the effectiveness of cooperative agreements between the two cities. He also called enterprises in HCM City to invest in Vientiane as well as expand tourism cooperation between the two localities.

The same day, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan also received a high-ranking delegation of Champasak province, led by provincial Governor Sonexay Siphandone.-VNA