Major newspapers of Laos, including “Pathet Lao” (the nation of Laos), “Pasaxon” (People), “Laophatthana” (Laos development), Setthakit Kankha (economy-trade), and Vientiane Times, noted that at the meeting, co-chaired by Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, the two sides lauded the cooperation outcomes between the two countries in 2017.
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The 39th meeting of the Laos-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee |
The papers mentioned the success of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017, and the 13.6 percent growth of two-way trade, higher than the target of 10 percent.
In 2017, the two countries realized bilateral agreements efficiently, the leaders noted in the meeting, adding that affiliation in politics, external relations, defence, security, economy, culture, society, and people-to-people exchange was also expanded. Currently, Vietnam is hosting over 14,000 Lao students.
Vietnam is currently the third largest foreign investor in Laos with 411 projects worth about USD 3.7 billion in Laos, 43 percent of which, or USD 1.6 billion, have been disbursed.
Along with detailing the discussion content of the meeting, the articles specified 12 cooperation deals signed during the event.
Pathet Lao, run by the Laos news agency, underscored that the deal between the Vietnamese and Lao governments on investment cooperation to develop Vung Ang port is the most important agreement as it allows Laos, a landlocked country, to access sea trade routes. It commented that the deals would help strengthen and expand partnership between the two countries.
The newspaper also quoted the Lao PM as saying that at the joint press conference with PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc following the meeting he highly values the outcomes of Vietnamese projects in Laos and pledged to create optimal conditions for the Vietnamese investors.
Along with the printed newspapers, many other media agencies such as the national television and radio also gave much space reporting the results of the 40th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee.
Source: VNA