Vietnamese, Lao Prime Ministers hold talks in Hanoi

The talks were held on the occasion of the Lao PM’s participation in the seventh Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS 7) Summit, the eighth Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation (CLMV 8) Summit, and the World Economic Forum on the Mekong Region (WEF-Mekong) in Hanoi. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the Lao PM’s presence will contribute to the success of these events. He congratulated Laos on its successful organisation of the 28th – 29th ASEAN Summits as ASEAN Chair, expressing his belief that the Lao Government will fulfill the set tasks and the Resolution of the 10 th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. He also welcomed PM Thongloun Sisoulith’s recent dialogue with Vietnamese businesses and his pledge to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese investors in Laos. The two government leaders agreed to task the two ministries of industry and trade with devising solutions for boosting bilateral trade and better implementing the Vietnam-Laos border trade agreement. They also pledged to urge Vietnamese enterprises to carry out projects, particularly those on hydropower and mining, in Laos on schedule. For his part, PM Thongloun Sisoulith extended condolences to the Party, State and people of Vietnam on the heavy damage inflicted by flood on the central region. He applauded Vietnam’s initiative to organise the WEF-Mekong and thanked Vietnam for its support of Laos in fulfilling the role as ASEAN Chair in 2016 and in successfully organising the ASEAN Summits last September. The Lao PM noted that Vietnam’s investment is on the rise in Laos and has considerably contributed to local socio-economic development, underling the fact that Vietnam currently ranks third among foreign investors in his country. The Vietnamese and Lao leaders agreed that the two Governments will set up a committee for organising activities marking the 55 th founding anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties and 40 years since the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Treaty. They also agreed to set up a specific mechanism for their meetings and attending sessions of the Inter-governmental Committee on cooperation so as to swiftly tackle problems in bilateral relations.