At the 48th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee, the two government delegations will review and assess the implementation of agreements in the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Plan for the 2021-2025 period and 2025; at the same time, discuss and agree on cooperation directions and tasks for the 2026-2030 period and 2026.
On December 2, Party Central Committee member, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong shared with VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper important contents of the Session.
Vietnam-Laos special cooperation mechanism
- Mr. Deputy Minister, could you please tell us what is the significance of the 48th Meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee in the overall special cooperative relationship between the two countries?
Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong: The Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee is a very important mechanism to implement the relationship of "great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, and strategic cohesion" between the two Parties and two States.
This year, the 48th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee is not only an annual meeting to review cooperation agreements during the year, but also a special meeting as it takes place right after the High-level Meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, and at the same time, it takes place at a time when the two countries are summarizing the 2021-2025 cooperation term and preparing to enter a new phase of cooperation with a broader strategic vision.
Co-chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, the Session affirmed the highest political interest and determination of the Senior Leaders in nurturing the “unique” relationship, as well as the key role of the Intergovernmental Committee mechanism, a cooperative institution that has been maintained continuously for the past 48 years, ensuring that all commitments and orientations between the two Parties and two countries in the cooperative relationship are implemented substantially. This is the mechanism to realize the spirit of sharing, mutual support and mutual development.
- With that meaning, what will the meeting include, sir?
Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong: This year, the two sides will comprehensively evaluate the results of cooperation in the past 5 years from 2021 to 2025. It can be said that despite many fluctuations in the regional and world context, Vietnam-Laos cooperation continues to develop substantially, bringing very positive results. The meeting is also of strategic orientation when the two sides will discuss and propose cooperation directions for 2026 and the following years.
Based on the results of General Secretary To Lam's State visit to Laos and high-level agreements, the two sides will discuss and agree to continue making economic cooperation one of the strategic pillars, strongly and comprehensively promoting relations between the two countries in all fields.
This is also an opportunity to affirm and deepen the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic connection between Vietnam and Laos. This close connection has strategic significance not only for the stability and development of each country, but also contributes positively to peace, stability and cooperation in the region.
Special relationships in the world
- Could you please share some outstanding achievements in implementing the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Agreement for the 2021-2025 period?
Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong: In the 2021-2025 period, despite the rapidly changing world and regional situation, increased strategic competition between major countries, and many global challenges such as natural disasters, epidemics, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, the special Vietnam-Laos relationship will still be consolidated and developed sustainably.
Under the direct and comprehensive leadership of the two Parties and States, close coordination between ministries, branches, localities and businesses of both sides has been proactively, flexibly and effectively implemented. Thanks to that, many key cooperation projects, especially in the 2024-2025 period, have had difficulties removed, progress accelerated, brought about substantial results, and created new momentum for bilateral cooperation in the fields of politics, economics, defense, security and culture-society.
The two sides held a conference to disseminate and issue a plan to implement the High-Level Agreements to concretize the High-Level Agreements, contributing to developing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos more deeply, substantially and effectively.
First of all, political relations continue to be strengthened and increasingly deepened, connected, and trusted, affirming the core role and overall orientation in the relationship between the two countries. The two sides affirmed that the Vietnam-Laos relationship is an exemplary, loyal, pure, and rare relationship; a decisive factor in the victory of each country's revolution and a priceless common asset of the two Parties and two peoples, which needs to be preserved, promoted, and passed on to future generations.
The two sides have effectively promoted existing cooperation mechanisms and at the same time built new mechanisms to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles in implementing agreements between the two Parties and two States; and closely coordinated on strategic issues.
Cooperation in the fields of defense, security and foreign affairs between Vietnam and Laos continues to be maintained and developed as an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries.
Economic cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has recently made new progress, with positive changes. Many difficulties and obstacles have been promptly resolved, and investment and trade promotion, guidance, inspection and supervision have been stepped up. A number of large-scale projects in the fields of energy and mineral exploitation have been promoted, which has created an important driving force to promote other Vietnamese projects to invest in Laos. The two sides have also actively researched and resolved difficulties in a number of key and strategic projects.
Regarding Vietnam's investment in Laos, Vietnam currently has 276 investment projects in Laos with a total registered capital of more than 6.21 billion USD, of which the implemented capital is about 3 billion USD. Many large projects have been completed, operating effectively and bringing profits, contributing to creating jobs for Lao people, promoting socio-economic development of the two countries, especially in the fields of telecommunications, banking, energy, mining, agriculture and food processing. In the period of 2021-2025, the Lao Government has allowed Vietnamese enterprises to invest in 35 works and projects in various fields with a total registered capital of 4.3 billion USD. Vietnamese enterprises contribute an average of about 200 million USD/year in taxes and financial obligations to the Lao Government. In the 2021-2025 period, Vietnam-Laos trade growth exceeded the target set by the two countries' leaders, striving to bring bilateral trade turnover to 5 billion USD in the coming time.
The two sides have effectively promoted the mechanism, promoted the digitalization of bilateral retail payments, contributed to strengthening economic connectivity between the two countries, created new momentum in trade cooperation, thereby actively supporting economic cooperation, trade, investment and exchange activities of the two peoples.
The cooperative and mutual assistance relationship between the departments, ministries, branches, committees of the National Assembly, the Fatherland Front, organizations and localities of the two countries continues to be strengthened, implemented substantially and in depth, associated with the implementation of the High-level Agreement between the two Parties, the Cooperation Plan between the two Governments and bilateral programs.
Looking back on the journey we have traveled, we are always proud of the great efforts of many generations in building the country, nurturing the Vietnam-Laos relationship to continuously blossom and bear fruit, making this relationship extremely exemplary, loyal, pure and the only model in the world.
With the close attention and direction of the senior leaders of the two Parties and two countries, together with the efforts of ministries, departments, branches, organizations at the central and local levels, and of Vietnamese and Lao enterprises, we have sufficient basis to maintain faith in a bright future for each country as well as the special solidarity relationship between Vietnam and Laos in the new period.
- Thank you very much./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-trien-manh-me-va-toan-dien-quan-he-giua-viet-nam-lao-tren-moi-linh-vuc-post1080582.vnp
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