Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year a success
The conference was co-chaired by President Truong
Tan Sang and visiting General Secretary of the Lao People’s
Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone.
President Sang said that over the past year, Vietnam and Laos
have closely coordinated in organising a wide range of activities that
drew the participation of agencies at all levels and people from all
strata in both countries.
Grand meetings were held
in each country’s capital city to mark the 50 th anniversary of the two
countries’ diplomatic ties and 35 years of the signing of their
Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.
Vietnam
hosted the third Vietnam-Laos People’s Friendship Festival while Laos
’ Savannakhet province also organised a meeting celebrating the
Vietnam-Laos special relationship and combatant alliance.
Ministries, agencies and localities, especially those along the
border, coordinated in organising many practical activities during the
year.
The two countries’ people enthusiastically
took part in a contest on the history of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam
special relationship, reflecting their aspiration and determination to
preserving and fostering the traditional friendship, special solidarity
and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.
President Sang also highlighted bilateral economic cooperation in
2012, with two-way trade estimated at nearly 1 billion USD. At present,
Vietnam has 440 projects in Laos with a total investment of 5.38
billion USD, becoming one of the largest among 58 investors in Laos .
In education and training, close to 6,500 Lao
officials and students are studying in Vietnam while about 500
Vietnamese students are pursuing their study in Laos .
“2012 was a significant year in the social and political life of the
two peoples as well as an important milestone in the Vietnam-Laos
relation, helping young generations better understand the close and
faithful attachment between the two countries,” the president said.
He stressed that the results and spirit of the year will be an
important momentum for lifting the special relationship between the two
Parties, States and peoples to a new height, in the interest of the two
countries’ people as well as for peace and prosperous development in the
region.
President Sayasone said that the Friendship
and Solidarity Year has wrapped up but the traditional friendship,
special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two
Parties, States and peoples will exist forever.
Despite any changes in regional and world situation, the Lao Party and
State leaders and people will continue to join their Vietnamese
counterparts to preserve that special relation, considering it an
invaluable asset and a rule of existence and development of the two
nations as well as an inexhaustible source of encouragement on their
development paths, he stressed./.VNA