Attending the talks were Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defense; Lieutenant General Le Van Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Public Security ; heads of agencies and units under the Ministry of National Defense...
The talks were an opportunity for the two sides to evaluate the five-year journey of cooperation in implementing the Protocol on Defense Cooperation for the 2020-2024 period, and to share a vision on defense relations for the 2025-2029 period and the coming years.
Speaking at the talks, Minister Phan Van Giang emphasized that 2024 will witness many important events in the cooperative relationship between the two countries and the two armies, typically: the high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party; mutual visits by senior leaders of the two countries; activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Lao People's Army, the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, and the upcoming 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army...
General Phan Van Giang and General Chansamone Chanyalath signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries ' Defense Ministries . Photo: Internet.
Minister Phan Van Giang expressed his delight at the increasingly positive development of the bilateral defense relationship between Laos and Vietnam. The areas in the Protocol on Defense Cooperation for the 2020-2024 period have been effectively implemented, with contents exceeding the set targets.
Accordingly, political and strategic trust is higher, solidarity and closeness between the two armies are increasingly consolidated. The two sides closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, mechanisms and international events organized by each side, especially during Vietnam's ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 and Laos' ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2024. Cooperation forms and mechanisms are increasingly diverse and widespread. Many historic and first-time defense diplomacy events have been organized such as: The first Vietnam-Laos border defense friendship exchange (2021), The first Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border defense friendship exchange (2023)...
Along with that, the Deputy Ministerial Defense Policy Dialogue Mechanism has played an important role in exchanging and sharing views on strategic issues, promptly orienting priorities and focuses of cooperation. Cooperation in human resource training is highly valued. Cooperation in defense industry and defense economy is increasingly focused, important and effective...
Security and order in the border areas of the two countries have been increasingly consolidated. Border guards, border management and protection forces and military regions on both sides have coordinated to maintain the stability of the border and border markers; propagated and mobilized people to strictly comply with signed legal documents; effectively maintained the twinning activities of pairs of border posts, Border Guard companies, and residential areas, contributing significantly to stabilizing the lives of local people, consolidating security and political bases, and contributing to realizing the common vision of senior leaders on a peaceful, stable, and sustainably developed Vietnam-Laos border.
The two Ministers cut the ribbon to inaugurate the classroom building of Long Sap Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities. Photo: Internet.
Thanking Minister Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for the warm and friendly reception for the Lao delegation, General Chansamone Chanyalath highly appreciated the preparation work for the exchange. At the same time, he affirmed that this exchange continues to affirm itself as an effective and unique cooperation model between the two countries, an activity of profound political significance, demonstrating the political determination of the Party, State, Army, localities, especially the people and border protection forces of Vietnam and Laos in strengthening solidarity and friendship, promoting substantive cooperation, together building a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development, for the prosperity of each country, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Regarding the vision for the next period, the two Ministers agreed that in the coming time, defense cooperation between the two countries will focus on a number of contents. First of all, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation in Party and political work; the focus is on consolidating and protecting the Party's ideological foundation, maintaining the Party's absolute and direct leadership in all aspects over the army; focusing on building and consolidating political bases in localities, especially in hamlets and border areas; effectively propagating and educating about the history, significance and importance of the special Vietnam-Laos relationship.
Along with that, the two sides will better maintain existing cooperation mechanisms, such as annual high-level delegation exchanges, Deputy Ministerial-level Defense Policy Dialogues, and exchanges and contacts between agencies and units of the two sides; enhance effective cooperation in military and defense work, especially in responding to non-traditional security challenges. Cooperate in managing and protecting borders and landmarks; cooperate in training human resources; improve the effectiveness of mutual support. In particular, the Lao Government and Ministry of Defense will continue to create favorable conditions for searching, excavating, and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos during the war.
At the end of the talks, General Phan Van Giang and General Chansamone Chanyalath signed the Protocol on Defense Cooperation for the 2025-2029 period and the Cooperation Plan for 2025 between the two countries' Defense Ministries.
On the same day, within the framework of the second Vietnam-Laos Border Defense Friendship Exchange, at Long Sap Border Gate, the welcoming ceremony for the Lao delegation was solemnly held under the chairmanship of General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense of Vietnam.
Next, Minister Phan Van Giang and Minister Chansamone Chanyalath, along with the delegations of the two countries' Ministries of National Defense, visited the Long Sap Border Guard Station; attended the inauguration ceremony of the Long Sap Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities; and visited the joint exercise on catching cross-border criminals. After that, the two delegations held talks and signed a cooperation document between the Ministry of National Defense of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of National Defense of the Lao PDR./.
Kim Oanh
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