President Truong Tan Sang received Minister to the Presidential Office of Laos Phongsavath Boupha, who is on a visit to Vietnam , in Hanoi on March 30.

President Sang said Vietnam and Laos should make efforts to deepen their special friendship and comprehensive cooperation, lifting the two countries relations to a new height, especially in 2012, the year of the 50 th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and 35 years of the signing of the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.

He applauded the annual exchanges of delegations between the Presidential Offices of Vietnam and Laos which helped the two sides to share experience and made contributions to cementing the friendship between the two offices.

On the occasion, President Sang also asked Laos to continue to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese-invested projects in Laos , helping to raise two-way trade turnover to 1 billion USD this year.

Phongsavath Boupha agreed that the two Presidential Offices should work together more closer, affirming that experience from the Vietnamese Presidential Office will help the Lao side improve its operational effectiveness.

The same day, Minister Phongsavath Boupha held talks with Dao Viet Trung, Chairman of the Vietnamese Presidential Office.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding between the two offices witnessed by President Truong Tan Sang.-VNA