The statement was made during last week’s official friendship visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and State President Choummaly Sayasone, at the invitation of Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and President Nguyen Minh Triet.

The two nations’ traditional special relationship was a priceless mutual asset, Manh and Sayasone jointly stated at their talks. Vietnamese and Lao party leaders had pledged to forever maintain their bilateral traditional relationship built by many generations of leaders, and to develop it further in the future.Manh said that it was the intention of the two sides to further enhance the quality and effectiveness of Vietnam-Laos cooperation in all sectors including politics, culture, national defence and security and external affairs, as well as cooperation between all ministries, sectors, localities and businesses.

They also emphasised their commitments to continuing to turn the Vietnam-Laos border into the one of peace, friendship, cooperation and long-term sustainable development.
Other measures the leaders discussed included the building of a cooperation strategy during the 2011-2020 period, speeding up education and training links while jointly pushing cooperation on regional and international issues.

Joint efforts would also be made by the two sides in cementing collaboration in multilateral organisations and forums such as the UN, ASEAN, ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, IPA, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Francophone network, the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Development Triangle and the East-West Economic Corridor.

A series of cooperation agreements between the two countries were also inked, including an agreement to facilitate cross-border travelling between the two governments, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on civil aviation cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport and Laos’ Public Works and Transport, an MOU on Food Safety and Hygiene and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Measures between the two Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and a deal to explore salt in Savanakhet province.

The agreements were expected to facilitate more traffic between the two nations, boosting the consumption of goods and tourism development as well as curbing epidemics.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Sayasone affirmed that the Laos-Vietnam special friendship was of vital significance to both nations.

Dung underscored the strategic significance of Vietnam and Laos’ comprehensive cooperation in the current regional and international circumstances, describing it as an important contribution to both countries’ efforts to maintain independence and retain political stability, while promoting socio-economic and cultural development.

The leaders also agreed to expedite high-level agreements, work closer together to soon remove difficulties and hindrances facing ministries, branches, localities and the business community. In 2008, Vietnam was the biggest foreign investor in Laos.

By February 2009, Vietnam had 172 projects in Laos with total investment capital of $1.983 billion, mainly in mining, hydroelectricity plant construction, road construction, the processing industry and the agro-forestry sector. Vietnam-Laos two-way trade turnover touched $450 million in 2008, up 44 per cent against 2007, and is expected to reach $1 billion by 2010, $2 billion by 2015 and $5 billion by 2020.

VietNamNet/VIR