(KPL/VNA) Representatives from the Governments of Vietnam and Laos met in Vientiane on November 12 to discuss preparations for the 47th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation which is scheduled to take place early next year in Laos.

The event saw the participation of Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation; Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment of Laos Viengsavanh Vilayphone, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation; representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, departments and agencies of the two countries.

Speaking at the event, Phuong said that Vietnam always attaches importance to and gives the highest priority to preserving and developing the special Vietnam-Laos relationship, considering it a priceless asset, of vital significance to the revolutionary cause of each country.

The official said he hoped that in the coming time, the two sides continue to thoroughly grasp the content of the agreement reached by the two countries’ senior leaders and the agreement on the annual cooperation plan between the two governments.

Ministries, agencies, and localities of the two countries will strive to successfully complete the agreement on the Vietnam-Laos cooperation plan for 2024 and 2025.

Accordingly, the two sides need to strengthen connectivity and complementarity between the two economies; create a stable, transparent legal corridor, and a favourable environment; have specific mechanisms for key security-defense projects. The two countries aim to reach trade turnover growth of 10-15%; as well as strengthen trade promotion, branding, and distribution channels for goods in each country to ensure stable presence and sustainable output.

At the meeting, the two sides also discussed cooperation relating to power imports from Laos to Vietnam, education, national defence, border management, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides agreed to continue supporting each other at international forums, strengthening ASEAN's role in promoting sub-regional cooperation, linking sub-regional cooperation with the process of building the ASEAN Community and ASEAN's regional integration; encourage ASEAN countries and partners outside the region to invest and support the development of the Mekong Sub-region in areas such as infrastructure connectivity, clean energy transition, climate change adaptation, poverty reduction, digital transformation, and human resource training.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed on two draft documents including the Minutes of the 47th Meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the Agreement on the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Plan for 2025.

KPL