Fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue held in Dien Bien

PANO - On March 20, the fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue took place in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister, and Senior Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakone, Lao Deputy Defense Minister, co-chaired the dialogue.

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Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien (R) welcomes Sr. Lt. Gen. Vongkham Phommakone to the dialogue.

The fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue held significant importance, especially in the context that the senior leadership of both countries reached numerous strategic agreements to guide the bilateral relations in 2024 and the subsequent years after the high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party last February and the 46th session of the Vietnam - Laos Intergovernmental Committee on Bilateral Cooperation last January.

During the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Senior Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakone agreed that the Vietnam - Laos bilateral defense ties have achieved practical outcomes, demonstrated in various areas such as delegation exchanges, dialogues, border management and protection, training, experience sharing, logistics supply, defense industry, and mutual assistance at multilateral forums, especially those led by ASEAN.

A view of the fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue

Both sides highlighted the successful organization of the first Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange. They expressed their desire to continue promoting cooperation among the militaries of the three countries with appropriate contents and forms.

Regarding global and regional situation, Gen. Chien highly appreciated the important role of ASEAN in shaping and maintaining the regional security structure and promoting substantive cooperation among member states and between ASEAN and its partners. He expressed confidence that in its role as the ASEAN Chair 2024, Laos would effectively lead the cooperative mechanisms, foster consensus within the grouping on common issues of mutual concern, and continue to advance ASEAN's development.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien (front line, second from left) speaks at the event.

Senior Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakone (front line, second from right) at the dialogue

On the occasion of Laos’ upcoming traditional New Year festival Bunpimay, Gen. Chien conveyed New Year greetings from General Phan Van Giang, Vietnamese Minister of National Defense, to General Chansamone Chanyalath, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Both sides sign the minutes of the fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue.

Delegates from both delegations in a group photo

For the time ahead, both Gen. Xuan Chien and Gen. Vongkham Phommakone agreed that both sides should continue their efforts to promote cooperation based on the signed agreements. They laid stress on delegation exchanges, border management and protection, training, logistics supply, defense industry, and enhancing consultation and mutual support in multilateral cooperative mechanisms.

At the end of the dialogue, the two head delegates signed the minutes of the fourth Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue.

* The same day, high-level delegations from the defense ministries of Vietnam and Laos paid tribute to heroic martyrs at the Dien Bien Phu Battlefield Martyrs Temple and the National War Cemetery A1 in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province.