Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith meet the press after their talks (Photo: VNA)The two government leaders reached the consensus during their talks in Vientiane on April 26 on the occasion of Phuc’s first official visit to Laos in his position as Vietnamese Prime Minister from April 26-27.
They concurred to implement more effectively high-level agreements, especially the Joint Statement issued on the official visit to Laos by Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in November 2016 and the Joint Statement released on the visit to Vietnam by Laos’ Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Volachith in April 2016.
The two sides vowed to build on the outcomes gained at the 39th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee on bilateral cooperation and do their best to carry out the Vietnam-Laos bilateral cooperation agreement in 2016-2020.
The Vietnamese and Lao governments will map out long-term collaboration orientations for the sustainable development of the two countries’ relations, driving economic-trade growth while ensuring social welfares and environmental protection.
The two PMs also agreed to enhance high-level delegation exchanges and effectively deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms along with increasing political trusts and cooperation efficiency in the fields of politics, external affairs, security-defence, economics, trade and investment.
The two sides aim to increase two-way trade value in 2017 by 10 percent against 2016 and step up connectivity between the two economies, particularly in energy and transport.
Both leaders pledged to carry out efficiently signed agreements, particularly the protocol on cooperation in defence and security in 2016-2020, the protocol on border line and national border markers, the agreement on border and border gate management regulations, the Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral transport cooperation strategy in 2016-2025 with a vision towards 2030, and the agreement on building Vientiane-Pacxan-Thanh Thuy-Hanoi highway.
They agreed to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges and jointly organise activities to celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 40th anniversary of signing the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc took the occasion to present his Lao counterpart and the Lao people with the Vietnamese-Lao and Lao-Vietnamese dictionaries with the hope of helping the two countries’ people, especially the youngsters, to learn each other’s languages, thus increasing mutual understanding and strengthening special solidarity.
The two PMs agreed to bolster affiliation in education and training, which has been a bright spot in bilateral cooperation.
They also affirmed to strengthen coordination at regional and international forums such as the United Nations (UN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, as well as support each other’s initiatives and activities within the framework of ASEAN.
Host and guest vowed to step up cooperation with each other and with other countries and international organisations for the sustainable and effective use and management of water resources in the Mekong River on the basis of ensuring the harmony in benefits of countries in the Mekong basin, especially those downstream. They noted the need to have mechanisms for bilateral coordination and coordination with other stakeholders to assess and monitor the impacts of the use of river water resources.
The two sides also stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; settling disputes via peaceful means and international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); implementing fully and effectively the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and soon reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), looking towards finalising a framework of the COC in mid-2017, thus contributing to preserving peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in the region and in the world.
After the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between Vietnam and Laos.
The two countries have issued a Joint Statement on the occasion of PM Phuc’s official visit to Laos. -VNA
VNA
