(KPL/VNA) Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone on May 26 as both leaders are attending the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Malaysia.

At the event, PM Chinh expressed his profound gratitude to the Lao leaders for their condolences over the passing of former State President Tran Duc Luong. He described Lao Vice President Pany Yathotou's attendance at the funeral for the late leader as a powerful symbol of the close fraternal relations between the two nations.

Vietnam attaches special importance to its relationship with Laos and remains committed to nurturing and developing the ties sustainably and substantively, PM Chinh noted, stressing this meeting provided an opportunity for the two PMs to discuss measures for translating high-level political agreements into concrete action.

The Vietnamese leader asked relevant ministries and agencies from both countries to actively coordinate to fruitfully implement the important projects designed to integrate their economies regarding transport, infrastructure, trade, human resources, and supply chains. He underscored Vietnam's continued commitment to sharing experiences and supporting Laos in developing policies on national development, education – training, and digital transformation.

PM Siphandone thanked Vietnam for its unwavering support throughout Laos' struggle for national liberation in the past and its ongoing development efforts.

He confirmed that the Lao Government will work closely with the Vietnamese Government to carry out key bilateral cooperation projects on schedule.

The two PMs concurred that their countries will strengthen coordination in implementing high-level bilateral agreements while increasing delegation exchanges at all levels to continuously consolidate their special political trust and solidarity. Security cooperation emerged as another priority, with both sides pledging to coordinate efforts in maintaining security, order, and social safety.

Economic cooperation took centre stage in their discussion as both PMs emphasised the need to strengthen connectivity between their economies in terms of transport infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, and tourism, including accelerating the construction of Hanoi-Vientiane Expressway and the Vientiane-Vung Ang railway.

KPL