Also attending the meeting between Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and the Lao Ambassador were representatives of leaders of units and functions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade : Department of Asia - Africa Market, Department of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Department of Electricity Regulation, Department of Oil, Gas and Coal, Department of Import and Export and the Ministry Office; on the side of the Lao Embassy were Counselors and Secretaries in charge of the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics - trade, culture - tourism.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien sent New Year greetings to Ambassador Khamphao Ernthvanh and his family, and expressed his appreciation for the Ambassador's proactive and positive contributions since he took office in Vietnam in November 2023. The Minister affirmed that the Lao Embassy in Vietnam has been playing a very important role, as a bridge connecting the economies of Vietnam and Laos; actively contributing to the strong relationship between the two countries.
The Minister commended the outstanding results in Vietnam - Laos trade relations in 2024, with bilateral trade turnover estimated at 2.2 billion USD, an increase of approximately 34% compared to 2023. In particular, this is the first time that trade turnover between the two countries has exceeded the 2 billion USD mark, far exceeding the target set by the two governments , a clear demonstration of the results of the continuous efforts of the governments, functional agencies, and businesses of both countries, including the contributions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Lao Embassy.
Regarding the Vietnam - Laos Trade Agreement, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized that the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Lao Ministry of Industry and Trade have completed the procedures to report to the Government for approval of the new Vietnam - Laos Trade Agreement (signed on April 8, 2024) and are ready for the implementation of the Agreement. The Minister asked Ambassador Khamphao Ernthvanh to help discuss with Lao authorities to quickly complete the necessary internal procedures, and promptly notify and confirm with the Vietnamese side the date the Agreement officially takes effect so that the Agreement can be implemented soon and the incentives under the terms of the Agreement can be utilized soon.
Regarding cooperation in the fields of energy and minerals, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized the key role of these two pillars in the Vietnam - Laos economic relationship. Cooperation in coal and electricity trading between Vietnam and Laos in 2024 has achieved very good results. The import of electricity and coal from Laos to Vietnam not only meets the socio-economic development needs of Vietnam but also helps exploit Laos' supply potential, thereby contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the neighboring country.
Ambassador Khamphao Ernthvanh expressed his agreement with Minister Nguyen Hong Dien's comments on the impressive achievements the two countries have made in recent times. The Lao Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade have closely coordinated and actively participated in implementing bilateral cooperation activities of the Parties, States and Governments of the two countries. These efforts have made an important contribution to strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. The Ambassador also expressed his impression of the growth of Vietnam's import-export turnover in 2024, estimated at about 810 billion USD, a trade surplus for the 9th consecutive year, a trade surplus of approximately 25 billion USD; industry has strongly recovered, growing by 8.4%, creating a great driving force for the overall growth of the country's economy.
On this occasion, Ambassador Khamphao Ernthvanh expressed his gratitude to Vietnam for its important support in supplying petroleum to the Lao market in recent times. In 2024, Vietnamese enterprises supplied 36 million liters of petroleum to the Lao market, helping to stabilize the Lao petroleum market; contributing to maintaining the economic and social development of Laos in the context of increasing energy demand.
With the above results, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and Ambassador Khamphao Ernthvanh expressed their confidence that the 47th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee on Bilateral Cooperation scheduled to be held in January 2025 in Laos will be a very successful meeting. The two sides affirmed that in the coming time, they will continue to closely coordinate to promote economic-trade, industrial-energy cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, contributing to strengthening the special friendship and comprehensive development of Vietnam-Laos relations.
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/hoat-dong/bo-truong-nguyen-hong-dien-tiep-va-lam-viec-voi-dai-su-dac-menh-toan-quyen-lao-tai-viet-nam.html
Comment (0)