Vietnam, Laos need to further develop ties more than ever: Lao Party leader

Nghe An (VNA) – In the rapidly-changing, complex and unpredictable world, Vietnam and Laos need to maintain and further develop their long-standing and loyal relations more than ever, said General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith on December 21.

He made the remarks at a meeting with military officials and soldiers of , on the last leg of his three-day official visit to Vietnam.

He expressed his sincere thank to the Party, State, armed forces and people of Vietnam for their support and sacrifice for the Lao struggle for independence in the past and the national building and protection today.

Many Vietnamese soldiers from the 4th Military Region have sacrificed their youth and lives to bravely stand alongside the people and army of Laos in the revolutionary war while many others were sent to aid Laos’ socio-economic development and key infrastructure projects after the war, he noted.

The general secretary urged the two nations to continue maintaining and developing the bilateral relations so the young generation and military officials and soldiers from both sides will have a proper understanding of the Vietnam-Laos special partnership and together nurture the ties towards sustainability.

Cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces should focus on quality and effectiveness, he said, suggesting that they need to work together to find more practical forms of cooperation that bring benefits to both sides and do not let any act of sabotage get in the way.

Commander of the 4th Military Region Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, for his part, said the military region and its units have closely coordinated with Lao authorities and localities to educate people of the two sides on policies of the two Parties and States, strengthen the grass-root political systems and promptly prevent acts of sabotage to ensure security along the shared border.

Cuong gave the Lao leader an overview of the two sides’ cooperation activities in training, healthcare and search for Vietnamese martyrs in Laos. He also expected to receive more support from the Laos to repatriate the remains of fallen Vietnamese soldiers and experts.-VNA