In a meeting with President of the National Assembly of Laos Saysomphone Phomvihan, the two leaders reaffirmed the top priority they attach to consolidating and strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
Lam and Phomvihan agreed to point out that this constitutes an invaluable treasure and a vital factor for the revolutionary cause of every country.
For his part, the Vietnamese leader affirmed his readiness to help the neighboring country successfully accomplish its duties as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024, especially those related to holding the Joint Parliamentary Assembly bloc.
Also the previous day, Tu Lam received the leader of the Lao Front for National Construction (FLCN), Sinlavong Khutphaithoun, who praised the close cooperation with the Fatherland Front of Vietnam (FPV) and other organizations in his country.
The Head of State urged the National Liberation Front to cooperate with the Vietnamese side to effectively implement the cooperation agreements on mass mobilization, religious and ethnic issues, especially with regard to spreading the traditional and historical relations between Hanoi and Vientiane.
Tu Lam also spoke with former general secretaries of the People’s Revolutionary Party and former Lao presidents Choummaly Sayasone and Bounnhang Vorachith, as well as with former Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.
He thanked everyone for the invaluable support and affection they had extended to his country, and praised their great contributions to the preservation and development of the faithful and the special solidarity between the two countries.
The Vietnamese president arrived here the previous day on his first overseas trip since taking office at the end of May, and in formal talks with his counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith they agreed to elevate bilateral economic cooperation to the level of their strong political ties.
Meanwhile, when speaking with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Sivadon, both agreed to aim to increase bilateral trade by 10 to 15 percent in 2024.
According to official statistics, bilateral trade in 2023 exceeded $1.64 billion, and it is estimated that in the first half of this year it exceeded $931 million in US currency.
Once his stay in Vientiane ends, the Vietnamese president will travel to Phnom Penh for a state visit to Cambodia that ends next Saturday.
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