President Tran Dai Quang (R) greets Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang gave a reception in Hanoi on October 25 for Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith who heads a high-level delegation to ongoing regional summits in Vietnam.
The President hailed the participation of the PM and the high-level delegation of Laos in the World Economic Forum on Mekong (WEF – Mekong), the 8th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 8) and the 7th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 7) in Vietnam.
“It illustrates Laos’ special attachment to cooperation in the Mekong Subregion,” said the President.
He congratulated Laos on the successful organisation of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and relevant meetings as Chair of ASEAN in 2016.
The expansion of relations with foreign countries, especially neighbouring ones, has helped Laos increase its position in the region and around the world, he said, adding that he believes Lao people will fulfil the targets of the Resolution adopted at the 10th Party Congress and the eighth five-year socio-economic development plan in 2016-2020.
President Quang also expressed his pleasure at the growing ties between the two countries across the fields thanks to regular high-level delegation exchanges, particularly the recent official visit to Laos by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in September, which has contributed to tightening the bilateral traditional friendship and special solidarity.
He suggested the two countries’ governments continuously make it easier for the implementation of the joint investment projects and key ones in energy and transport, including the construction of Hanoi – Vientiane highway and oil and gas pipeline project from Hon La port (in Vietnam’s central Quang Binh province) to Lao Khammouan province.
He recommended enhancing bilateral collaboration in defense, security, culture, education, human resources training, health, and people-to-people exchanges.
For his part, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said he was honoured to lead senior officials from Laos to attend the regional summits.
He also expressed his pleasure to be informed that President Tran Dai Quang will visit Laos to partake in activities to mark the 55th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties and 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam – Laos Amity and Cooperation Treaty in 2017.-VNA
