PM Phuc expressed his delight at the positive development oftraditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperationbetween Vietnam and Laos in diverse areas over the recent past.
PM Sisoulith, for his part, believed that the meeting willcreate a new driving force for the practical and effective development ofbilateral ties.
Both sides were satisfied with the outcomes of cooperationbetween the two governments in 2018, especially in politics, external affairs,national defence-security, social safety and order.
Over 400 projects worth about 4.1 billion USD by Vietnamesefirms contributed to Laos’ socio-economic development. Two-way trade betweenthe two nations exceeded the 1 billion USD benchmark in 2018, up 14 percent year-on-year.
Several strategic transportation connectivity projects areunderway while the number of Vietnamese scholarships to Lao students keepsincreasing, helping to raise the total number of Lao students in Vietnam to morethan 14,200 so far.
Both sides reached consensus on cooperationorientations for 2019, which lay the focus on collaboration across the fieldsof politics, foreign affairs, defence, and security.
Regarding economic ties, the two countries will exchange experiences inbuilding policies to stabilise the macro-economy and promote sustainabledevelopment. Also, they will work together to create business conditions forcompanies in each nation to reach 10 percent growth in two-way trade this year.
Meanwhile, improving the qualityof education-training cooperation will be prioritised, of which historicalworks highlighting the special relations between the two countries will be putinto curriculums at both Vietnamese and Cambodian schools.
In addition, competent ministries, sectors and localities will foster thepractical and effective cooperation in culture, science, society, communications,sport, healthcare, and legislation, among others.
In the spirit of special trust, the two sides agreed to continue closecoordination and mutual support at regional and international forums. The twocountries will accompany each other to deepen the cooperative progress of theASEAN Community, and enhance the ASEAN’s role in strategic issues of the region,including the East Sea matter.
Furthermore, they were unanimous on cooperation in effectively and sustainablyusing water resources in the Mekong river.
Laos affirmed to back Vietnam’s candidacyfor a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021tenure.
PM Phuc stressed that right afterthe session, the Vietnamese Government will direct relevant ministries,sectors, localities, enterprises and units to closely collaborate with theirLao counterparts to immediately and effectively implement the just-madedecisions.