The Party, State and people of Vietnam will join efforts with their Lao counterparts to preserve and elevate bilateral special relations to a new level, said a high-ranking Party official.

Hoang Binh Quan, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and Head of the CPVCC Commission for External Relations, made this statement during a meeting with Chummaly Sayasone, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and State President of Laos, in Vientiane on March 22.

Quan, who doubles as special envoy of CPVCC General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, conveyed the Vietnamese leader’s letter of congratulations to Chummaly Sayasone on his re-election as General Secretary of LPRP, along with greetings to the freshly elected LPRP Central Committee.

He expressed his belief that under the leadership of LPRP, the fraternal Lao people would successfully implement the Resolution of the 9 th National Party Congress and reap greater achievements in the renewal process.

The official affirmed that the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, which have been nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, generations of Party and State leaders, and the Vietnamese and Lao people, are valuable assets of the two Parties and nations, and constitute a factor ensuring the victory of each country’s revolutionary cause.

Quan conveyed Party General Secretary cum National Assembly Chairman Trong’s best regards and an invitation to Lao Party General Secretary and State President Chummaly Sayasone to officially visit Vietnam .

Sayasone thanked Trong for sending his special envoy to directly convey the letter of congratulations on the success of the 9 th LPRP National Congress and his re-election as the LPRP chief. This, he said, demonstrates the attachment, trust and fraternal sentiments between Laos and Vietnam .

He affirmed Laos will continue to place importance on and nurture the time-honoured neighbourliness, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam for prosperity of the two peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The Lao leader expressed his thanks and accepted Trong’s invitation with pleasure, agreeing to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

As part of his visit, Quan held a working session with Thongloun Sisoulith, Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the LPRP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and Foreign Minister of Laos.

The Vietnamese official also visited a number of Vietnam-Laos cooperative projects in the capital city of Vientiane .

In the letter of congratulations, Trong wrote that re-election of Chummaly Sayasone to the noble post showed the confidence of the entire Party, people and army to the Lao leader.

Trong said he surely believed that, under the sound leadership of the LPRP with Chummaly Sayasone as its General Secretary, the fraternal Lao people would record greater achievements in implementing the Resolution of the 9 th Party National Congress, stepping up the renewal process and successfully building Laos into a socialist-oriented country of peace, independence, democracy, unification and prosperity./.