New momentum for Viet Nam-Laos special relations

Ambassador Nguyen made the remarks ahead of Pham's tour to Laos where he will co-chair the 47th meeting of the Viet Nam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee scheduled on January 9-10.

Mr. Nguyen said that the visit coincides with the beginning of 2025, holding great significance for both countries. It represents the proactive efforts of Viet Nam and Laos in implementing the agreements reached by their senior leaders.

Firstly, this is the first overseas visit by one of Viet Nam's top four leaders and the first foreign leader Laos will host in 2025. It demonstrates the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos and reaffirms Viet Nam's policy of prioritizing and deepening its relations with the neighboring country in the new context.

Secondly, during the 47th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee, both sides will review bilateral cooperation in 2024 and charter orientations for cooperation for 2025. 

They will focus on political relations, diplomacy, defense-security cooperation, economic ties, education and workforce development, and other areas of mutual interest.

Both sides will adopt measures to enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation, particularly in economy, trade, and investment. These efforts aim to foster mutual development, strengthen resilience to geopolitical competition, and promote sustainable socio-economic growth. 

On this occasion, the two sides will organize the Viet Nam-Laos Investment Cooperation Conference, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Laos-Viet Nam Friendship Park, and witness the signing of key cooperation agreements.

Thirdly, the visit targets to strengthen economic connectivity, particularly in areas such as institutional frameworks, financial and monetary systems, transport infrastructure, as well as energy, telecommunications, agriculture, business, tourism, and digital transformation in order to strengthen both nations' resilience to economic and geopolitical fluctuations while leveraging new global trends to drive development.

Fourthly, the Viet Nam-Laos relationship plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development in Southeast Asia and globally. Therefore, enhancing bilateral cooperation will contribute to strengthening and elevating the role and position of each country, as well as their unified voice in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and regional forums, thus promoting solidarity and consensus in the new context."

Finally, the visit demonstrates the political determination of senior leaders of both parties and countries to continuously deepen and nurture the Viet Nam-Laos special solidarity, making it increasingly profound, practical, and effective across all fields in the face of regional and global challenges. This is viewed as a guiding principle for the sustainable and stable development of both countries in the future.

The Ambassador emphasized that the effective implementation of the agreements reached by senior leaders, ministries,, localities, and businesses of the two countries hold great importance in ensuring the sustainable development of both nations.

To achieve this, first and foremost, the ministries, agencies, and local authorities of both countries need to have a deep, full, and profound understanding of the great significance and value of the Viet Nam-Laos special relationship, and recognize that the solidarity and mutual assistance between the two parties and countries is an objective factor, a historical law, and one of the greatest sources of strength, and of vital significance to the cause of national construction and defense of each country.

Earlier, during the 46th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee held in Ha Noi on January 7, 2024,  the two countries agreed to boost bilateral trade growth of10-15 percent through strengthening connections in transport infrastructure, and promoting cooperation in agriculture and rural development. 

Viet Nam agreed to grant 1,120 scholarships to Lao officials and students to study in Viet Nam, and send teachers to Laos for the teaching of the Vietnamese language. 

The two sides also agreed to roll out measures to foster tourism connections with each other as well as among Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia.

In 2024, the two-way trade turnover was estimated at US$2.2 billion, an increase of nearly 34 percent compared to 2023. This is the first time, trade value has exceeded the US$2 billion mark, far beyond the target set by the two governments./.