Vietnam and Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on natural resources and environmental cooperation in Hanoi on April 26.

At the signing ceremony, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Nguyen Thai Lai said that his ministry has actively supported Laos in the field. However, the joint activities between the two countries over the past time have not matched their potential and special relationship, he added.

Therefore, the MNRE and its Lao counterpart have reviewed their cooperative activities between the two nations in natural resources and environment as well as discuss ways to boost bilateral ties in the coming time, he said.

Lai stressed that the MoU will lay the foundation for promoting cooperation between the two ministries in all specialised fields, including water resources, geology and minerals, land management and environmental protection.

For his part, Lao Deputy Minister of National Resources and Environment Sisavath Vithasay thanked the Vietnamese ministry’s assistance over the past time and affirmed that the MoU will set a crucial base for their collaboration in the field of natural resources and environment.-VNA