On March 5, General Phan Van Giang - Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense - received Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith - Deputy Minister of National Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army, on the occasion of being the Head of the high-ranking military delegation of the Lao People's Army, on an official visit to Vietnam from March 4 to 6.
Congratulating Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith on being appointed by the Lao Party and State leaders as Deputy Minister of National Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army, General Phan Van Giang expressed his confidence that in his new position, Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith will contribute to the increasingly developing leadership of the Lao People's Army, promoting the increasingly strong cooperation between the two armies of Vietnam and Laos.
General Phan Van Giang emphasized that defense cooperation has always been one of the important pillars in the relationship between the two countries, contributing to actively strengthening political trust, solidarity and attachment between the two armies. Forms and mechanisms of cooperation between the two sides are increasingly diverse and spreading more widely. Security and order in the border areas of the two countries are increasingly consolidated; cooperation in human resource training is valued. Defense industry and defense economy cooperation are becoming more and more effective.
Congratulating Laos on its successful assumption of ASEAN Chairmanship, General Phan Van Giang highly appreciated the results of the talks between the two Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army and Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Minister of National Defense suggested that in the coming time, the two sides should continue to closely coordinate and effectively implement the orientation of cooperation between the two countries at the meeting between the three heads of the three Parties of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia in February 2025 and the cooperation contents agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries' defenses, focusing on implementing breakthroughs in the quality of cooperation in training and human resource development; cooperation in border management and protection; advisory work with senior leaders, on military and defense work; supporting Laos in building a United Nations peacekeeping force; coordinate the organization of the three-time meeting of the Defense Ministers in 2025.
Thanking General Phan Van Giang for taking the time to welcome, Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army Saichay Kommasith sent the condolences of the Lao Minister of National Defense to Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang.
Informing about the results of the talks between the two delegations, Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith affirmed that the two sides highly appreciated the results of cooperation in the past time between the two armies of Vietnam and Laos; and thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense for supporting and assisting Laos in successfully holding the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024.
In the coming time, the two Ministries of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and the Lao People's Army will coordinate to effectively implement the cooperation contents according to the cooperation plan agreement signed by the leaders of the two countries' defence ministries.
