On the afternoon of October 17, immediately after arriving in the capital Vientiane, at the Lao National Assembly House, Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane solemnly presided over the official welcoming ceremony for National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly. Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, the two National Assembly Chairmen held talks.
According to the Office of the National Assembly, at the meeting, the two National Assembly Chairmen agreed that the relationship in trade and investment cooperation between the two countries is still modest, not commensurate with the good political relations and cooperation potential between the two countries.
The Lao National Assembly Chairman stated that Vietnam is among the top countries investing in Laos with about 241 projects at various levels with a total investment capital of about 5.47 billion USD. The Lao National Assembly Chairman proposed that the Vietnamese National Assembly support the promotion of economic cooperation between the two countries, especially increasing two-way trade turnover in the coming time. Expressing his impression of Vietnam's achievements in agricultural development, including many products with high economic value, the Lao National Assembly Chairman hoped that Vietnam would share its experience in this field.
Agreeing with the proposal of the Lao National Assembly Chairman, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the two countries need to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including agriculture.
The two National Assembly Chairmen were pleased to note that the cooperation between the two countries' legislative bodies is developing well in both breadth and depth.
To promote cooperation between the two legislative bodies, the two National Assembly Chairmen agreed that it is necessary to continue to carry out exchange activities and share experiences in areas of mutual interest, especially in building and perfecting institutions and legal systems, supreme supervision and deciding on important issues of the country.
At the same time, closely coordinate and jointly monitor the implementation of bilateral agreements; strengthen supervision and promote investment cooperation projects, propose solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles, and create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest and do business in Laos.
The two National Assembly Chairmen also suggested that the two sides should promote the improvement of institutions and policies to facilitate the effective implementation of high-level agreements of the two countries' Politburoes and cooperation between the two governments.
Regarding Cambodia's withdrawal from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle, the two National Assembly Chairmen agreed that the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle has made positive contributions to the development of each country and has played an important role in the history of building and developing the three countries in general and Cambodia in particular. Vietnam and Laos always cherish the historical value of the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia relationship and will always attach importance to and give top priority to preserving, nurturing and developing the neighborly relationship of friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation with Laos and Cambodia.
Earlier, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane had a meeting.
Immediately after the talks, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane witnessed the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lao National Assembly; and the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing friendly cooperation relations between Hoi An city, Quang Nam province (Vietnam) and Luang Prabang city, Luang Prabang province (Laos).
