Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has sent a message to thank Lao Party General Secretary and State President Choummaly Sayasone, leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly and Prime Minister and the entire people of Laos for their warm hospitality, showing the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity.

The message was made right after Trong, who is also National Assembly Chairman, ended his three-day official, friendly visit to Laos on June 22.

“We strongly believe that the fine outcomes of the visit will contribute to promoting the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation to a new height, with intensive effective and practical activities, for the prosperity of each country’s people, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.”

He wished for the ever verdant, sustainable traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos .

On this occasion, Hoang Binh Quan, member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Head of PCC Commission for External Relations, granted an interview to Vietnam News Agency on Trong’s visit and the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in the new stage.

This is the first overseas tour made by Nguyen Phu Trong in capacity of Party General Secretary, he stressed, adding that it took place at a special time when the two Parties and States successfully organised the congress of each Party and National Assembly elections of each country.

The two countries had been obtaining important achievements in all areas, and further development in the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, he added.

With the special significance, Quan affirmed the visit met both sides’ aspirations, was a new milestone and created a driving force to lift the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation onto a new plane with practical results in the coming years.

The visit also affirms Vietnam ’s strong support for the renewal process, national defence and construction of Laos and contributed to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the world.

During the visit, Party leader Trong held talks and met with top leaders of the Lao Party, Government, National Assembly and Lao Front for National Construction.

The two sides discussed in depth the relations between the two Parties, States and peoples and continue to strongly affirm the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, as well as the closeness and trust between the two sides fostered by President Ho Chi Minh and his Lao counterpart Kaysone Phomvihane and leaders of both Parties, States and peoples.

They agreed it is the rule of development, a factor that ensures the success of the national construction and defence of each country and is an invaluable treasure of the two Parties and nations that should be preserved and passed down to future generations.

Quan noted the visit’s biggest outcome is to create a new driving force for promoting relations between the two Parties, States and reach consensus on detailed content and measures to continue developing the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation to a new level.

The official also said cooperation between localities, especially these sharing the borderline, is an important channel, contributing to further develop the Vietnam-Laos special relations.

In recent years, the exchange and cooperative ties between provinces and cities saw an increase, bringing practical outcomes for both sides, particularly in mutual assistance for economic development, poverty reduction, cultural exchange, cooperation in education, as well as security, safety and order in border areas, building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development, the Vietnamese Party official said.

Leaders of the two countries agreed to encourage and create favourable conditions to promote exchanges, cooperation between localities, thus contributing to tightening the Vietnam-Laos friendship and cooperation, he added.

Many provinces and cities of Vietnam have set up links with Vientiane capital, Savannakhet provinces and other localities, he said./.