A joint statement was issued on April 15 at the end of a three day visit to Laos by Vietnam ’s party chief, highlighting the great success of his talks with his Lao counterpart, Chummaly Saynhasone.

The joint statement said talks between Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and Saynhasone, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and Lao State President, dug deep into friendly relations, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two parties and two Governments.

The host shared happiness with the guest for the great achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in national defence and construction, especially during its almost 25 years of renewal towards industrialisation and modernisation for the sake of a strong nation with prosperous people and a just, democratic and civilised society.

The Lao leader expressed “profound gratitude to the Vietnamese Party, State and people for their great, valuable, sincere and effective assistance to the revolutionary cause waged by the Lao Party, State and people in the past and at present as well,” said the joint statement.

In reply, the CPV leader congratulated the Lao people on their historic achievements in national construction and defence, especially during their renewal process over almost 25 years.

Host and guest expressed great satisfaction at the constant development of the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and Governments.

“Bilateral relations in politics, security, national defence and foreign relations have witnessed major steps forward in the recent past while major progress has been made in economic, cultural, educational and sci-tech cooperation. Investment from Vietnam into Laos has continued to grow.”

“Bilateral relations between the Parties, National Assemblies, Governments, ministries, social and mass organisations and local administrations of the two countries are being undertaken on a deeper and broader scale,” the joint statement emphasised.

The two leaders reiterated pledges to maintain and develop the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

“The two sides describe these relations as a decisive factor in the ultimate success of national construction and defence in each country as well as an invaluable treasure that the two nations should hand down to their younger generations,” said the statement.

The two leaders agreed to increase high-level meetings between the two Parties and States and step up public education, especially for the younger generations, on traditional and special relations between the two countries. To this end, a week of Lao culture will take place in Vietnam.

The two sides emphasised the great significance of economic cooperation and highly valued the positive results of the 32nd session held by the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation in Luongphabang province of Laos in January.

The two parties exchanged views on orientations and concrete measures to improve the quality of cooperation in education, training and human resource development while boosting investment and trade.

Discussions also aimed to provide favourable conditions for business circles to start up businesses or invest in energy, mining, growing and processing industrial crops, transport and communications, post and telecommunications, oil and gas exploration, aviation, seafood, hydro-meteorology, environmental protection, natural resource management, healthcare, sports and tourism.

The two sides also mulled over measures to set up border-gate economic zones and connect infrastructure systems between the two countries.

They reached a consensus in strengthening cooperation on security, national defence, social order and fighting cross-border crime as well as stepping up cooperation in locating, exhuming and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese soldiers fallen on Lao soil.

The two sides agreed to safeguard peace, friendship, and cooperation as well as comprehensive and sustainable development along the common borderline.

They called for greater efforts to be made to finish the project on strengthening and upgrading the system of border markers on a mutually agreed-upon schedule by 2014.

In regard to regional and international issues, host and guest agreed to make joint efforts towards the effective use of Mekong River water resources and enter close cooperation with Cambodia in fulfilling agreements reached by the three countries’ Prime Ministers.

The Lao side pledged to act closely with and provide stronger assistance to Vietnam to help it discharge its duties as Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2010./.