Vietnam and Laos have agreed to promote cooperation between their army units and enhance security links with the aim to build a shared borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

The agreement was reached during talks between Sen. Lieut. Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich, Chief of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Lao Deputy Defence Minister and Director of the General Politics Department of the Lao People’s Army (LPA) Sengneun Saynhalath in Luang Prabang on June 25.

The two sides agreed to continue stepping up education and popularisation to raise awareness of the importance of strengthening the special relationship between the two nations and between the two armies in particular in the new situation.

They reached the consensus on well organising activities to celebrate the 60 th traditional day of the LPA and the 70 th founding anniversary of the VPA.

The two sides will increase the exchange of delegations and closely coordinate in searching and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Laos during the war in an effort to accomplish their target of searching the remains of 1,000 remaining Vietnamese martyrs.

Reviewing bilateral cooperation in 2012, both sides agreed that the two countries carried out a wide range of practical activities to mark the 50 th anniversary of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties and 35 years of the signing of their Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.

In the 2012-2013 dry season, the two sides have coordinated in exhuming the remains of 413 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, raising the number of martyr remains collected in Laos since 1994 to over 16,000.-VNA