Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong (L) meets General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Beijing, October 19, 2023. (Photo: Thong Nhat/ VNA)

Mr. Thongloun said Laos treasures its relations with Vietnam, and has made tireless efforts to nurture and develop the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation in a more sustainable and deeper way. He promised to contribute to bolstering ties between the two Parties and States.

The two leaders agreed to continue promoting close political relations, joining hands to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development, and focusing on effective implementation of high-level agreements, deals, and cooperation plans between the two Parties and States.

They agreed to step up defence-security cooperation, which is a pillar in the bilateral relations.

The leaders highlighted the need to maintain cultural, sport and tourism exchange mechanisms, and reached consensus on carrying out the project on improving the quality and efficiency of the Vietnam-Laos cooperation in education and human resources development during the 2021-2030 period.

They agreed to remove bottlenecks for important economic-trade-investment projects, and boost collaboration in science, innovation, the digital economy, and e-commerce.

They affirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation and connectivity between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, especially in economy, trade, infrastructure, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

The leaders also agreed to promote coordination to ensure that Laos will successfully accomplish its role as the ASEAN Chair in 2024, helping to promote the central role of ASEAN and bring practical benefits to the people of ASEAN.