Accordingly, the second Vietnam - Laos young border guard officer exchange program is seen as a significant border defense relations activity, contributing to strengthening solidarity, friendship, and mutual understanding between the two countries’ young border guard officers.
Answering the question about outstanding achievements gained by Vietnamese and Lao young border guard officers in their coordination over the past years, Senior Colonel Nguyen Thanh Hai said that Vietnamese and Lao young border guard officers have heightened their vanguard role and creative spirit to further deepen the relationship between the two countries’ border guard forces.
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Senior Colonel Nguyen Thanh Hai, Deputy Political Chief of the Vietnam Border Guard Command (right, front) presents flowers to Colonel Amphan Xaynhasubat, Deputy Director of the Department of Border Guard under the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army, at Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri province during the first Vietnam - Laos young border guard officer exchange program in November 2022. |
In November 2022, in the celebration of the Laos - Vietnam, Vietnam - Laos Year of Solidarity and Friendship 2022, 60 years of establishing diplomatic relations and 45 years of signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation between the two countries, the Vietnam Border Guard Command and the Department of Border Guard under the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army successfully co-held the first Vietnam - Laos young border guard officer exchange program.
The success of the first exchange program contributed to promoting dissemination and political education, heightening responsibilities and determination of the two countries’ young border guard officers in preserving and upholding Vietnam - Laos solidarity and traditional friendship in general and the two countries’ border protection forces in particular.
Also, he affirmed that the young border guard officers are the pioneering force in protecting the border, ensuring political security and social safety and order, fighting against different kinds of crimes, especially drug crime, smuggling and trade fraud, preventing illegal border crossing and dealing with arising problems in border areas in an effective and timely manner, among others.
Within the third Vietnam - Laos Defense Policy Dialogue which took place on March 23 in Lao province of Houaphanh, young border officers of Houaphanh province and Vietnam’s provinces of Son La and Thanh Hoa jointly organized an exchange program to promote the coordination to build a shared borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
Additionally, over the past time, the young border guard forces of the two countries have maintained bilateral patrols and promoted collaboration in border protection and management. The young officers have also given recommendations to local authorities to boost twinning activities among border residential clusters while regularly exchanging information and situation related to the shared borderline, to name but a few.
Regarding the important contents of the second Vietnam - Laos young border guard officer program, Senior Colonel Hai said that the program takes place on June 26-30 in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces with the participation of nearly 100 young border guard officers of the two countries.
The event consists of various activities, including a youth dialogue themed “Vietnamese and Lao young border guard officers intensify cooperation to build a shared borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development”; cultural, artistic, and sports exchange programs; a photo exhibition; a ceremony to present scholarship to students under the “Supporting children to go to school” and “Adopted children of border posts” programs; a tree-planting ceremony at the border station of the Cau Treo international border gate; and visits to cultural and historical sites in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces, to name but a few.
He underlined that the success of the second exchange program will reaffirm the close ties between Vietnam - Laos young border guard officers, contributing to deepening the great friendship and special solidarity between the two parties, governments, militaries, border protection forces, and people.
Senior Colonel Hai went on to inform the reporter the key activities that the Vietnamese and Lao young border officers should focus on in the coming time to build a Vietnam - Laos borderline of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and development.
First of all, the young border guard officers of the two countries should pay more attention to studying common views and perceptions reached by senior leaders of the two countries and the two militaries.
Secondly, they should further study to raise their awareness of the history and the significance of the Vietnam - Laos special friendship and comprehensive cooperation, especially the important role as the backbone of defense relations work and security cooperation between the two countries.
On this basis, they should pro-actively and actively coordinate with each other to carry out activities in an effective manner, particularly building a peaceful and friendship borderline, and protecting national territorial sovereignty and borders while enhancing sharing experience through exchange programs, as well as heightening their revolutionary vigilance in fighting plots of hostile forces aiming at sabotaging the Vietnam - Laos relations.
Thirdly, young officers in border posts, checkpoints, and companies should continue giving advice to higher levels and directly assign tasks to troops to exchange information and regional situations in border protection and management. Therefore, they could resolve arising issues in border areas.
Next, coordination in organizing cultural, artistic, sports exchange activities between young officers of the two sides should be boosted during holidays, New Year festivals, and more.
The two sides should also intensify collaboration activities between young border officers in border areas, foster information dissemination to raise people’s awareness of observing laws and regulations outlined in legal documents on land border and related agreements, and actively engage in movements to denounce crimes and protect borderline, national landmarks, and projects at border gates, and more.
Source: baobienphong
Translated by Quynh Oanh