The eighth conference on Vietnam-Laos border trade cooperation opened in the Lao southern province of Sekong, aiming to review and step up border trade ties between the two countries.

The event, held by the Ministries of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and Laos , brought together Governor and Party Secretary of Sekong Khamphoui Boutdalieng and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu.

Participant at the conference agreed that the border trade cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has significantly developed during the past years, promoting each country’s strength and contributing to boosting their two-way trade.

Last year, the trade reached 783.32 million USD, up 23 percent over the previous year. The figure hit 726.7 million USD in the first nine month of this year alone, increasing more than 15 percent year-on-year.

In order to fulfill the set target of earning 1 billion USD in 2012 and 2 billion USD in 2015, in the future the two sides will continue to work closely to step up the implementation of the 2007 Hanoi Agreement on creating favourable conditions for people, goods and vehicles to cross the border.

Besides, they will also effectively carry out the plan of developing the Vietnam-Laos border market network until 2020, coordinate with each other to build management regulations for joint border markets and work out a master plan of border trade development until 2025, among other measures to strengthen trade ties between the two countries, contributing to the building of a common borderline of peace, friendship, development and long-term stability.-VNA