Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and Lao Defense Minister General Chansamone Chanyalath co-chaired the ceremony.
Present at the meeting were also Lao Vice President Phankham Viphavan, leaders of Lao Central agencies and ministries as well as senior military officers from the Vietnamese and Lao Defense Ministries.
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Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich presents “Gold Star” order to the Lao People’s Army. |
Addressing the meeting, the Vietnamese Defense Minister stressed that the presentation of noble medals to Lao groups and individuals was Vietnam’s recognition of their significant contributions to the great traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. This also showed Vietnam’s willingness to further foster the close-knit loyal relationship between the two Parties, States, peoples and armies.
General Lich sincerely congratulated the Lao groups and individuals on their awards from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Over the past years, the two armies and peoples have always stood side by side supporting each other in various fields; as a result, they both have obtained a number of important achievements, General Lich said.
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Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich presents orders from the State of Vietnam to outstanding Lao groups and individuals. |
Particularly, the two defense ministries directed their subordinate agencies and units to conduct a range of practical activities on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army (January 20, 1949). These included meetings, visits, cultural and economic exchanges between the two sides, with the aim of promoting education of the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two nations for Vietnamese and Lao youths.
Meanwhile, bilateral defense cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has continuously been expanded, serving as an important pillar in the bilateral relations, contributing to maintaining a stable peaceful environment for socio-economic development in both countries.
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Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich in a joint photo with Lao awardees. |
Regarding the future of the bilateral relations, General Lich noted that the situation in the region and world will continue witnessing complex developments with latent destabilizing elements in the coming time, impacting directly on the national development and defense of the two countries. In this circumstance, the two nations should further cement the time-honored close-knit loyal relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation in the fields of economics, politics, culture, security and defense with the bilateral defense cooperation as a major pillar of the special Vietnam-Lao relations.
To meet this end, General Lich suggested the two countries should build a revolutionary, regular, elite and gradually modernized army, which is able to successfully safeguard each country as well as the special solidarity between the two nations in any circumstances. The two armies should also promote cooperation in the fields of Party and political work, training, tradition and political education as well as in the fight against plots and acts undermining the traditional friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. Next, the two sides should join efforts in protecting the shared borderline and building it as a border of peace, friendship, stability, development and prosperity. Meanwhile, people and border guard units on both sides of the shared borderline should actively conduct twinning activities, cultural and economic exchanges, information sharing so as to promote mutual understanding and trust.
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Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich in a joint photo with Lao awardees. |
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Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich hands over the money from the Vietnamese Defense Ministry in support of Lao victims of natural disasters to Lao Defense Minister General Chansamone Chanyalath. |
The Vietnamese Defense Minister also hoped that the two sides would continue collaborating effectively in searching and collecting remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Laos, support each other in disaster relief and rescue, and team up in fighting transnational crimes.
“I always believe that the two countries will join efforts in any circumstances to maintain and further foster the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, contributing positively to the national development and defense of each country as well as to stability, peace, cooperation and development in the region and world,” General Lich stressed.
On the occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense offered its Lao counterpart a number of literature and art pieces selected from the literature and art composition contest “Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Solidarity in Combat” 2017. General Ngo Xuan Lich, on behalf of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, also granted US$ 50,000 to the Lao Ministry of National Defense to support victims of the recent natural disasters in central and southern Laos.
Thanking the Vietnamese Party, State, people and army for rewarding noble medals to the Lao People’s Army as well as Lao groups and individuals, the Lao Defense Minister affirmed that this has been a great honor and pride for all awardees. General Chansamone Chanyalath noted that the achievements of the Lao army have always associated with the common achievements of Vietnam and Laos over the past 70 years. They have also contributed significantly to promoting the Vietnam-Lao alliance in both past wars against the common enemies and current national development and defense of the two countries.
The Lao Defense Minister expressed great gratitude to the Party, State, army and people of Vietnam for their enormous impartial support for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in general and the Lao People’s Army in particular over the past years.
At the meeting, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army announced decisions signed by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to bestow orders on the Lao People’s Army as well as Lao groups and individuals with outstanding achievements in promoting the great traditional friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.
Under the authority of the President of Vietnam, Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich presented the “Gold Star” order, the most precious honor of Vietnam’s Party, State to the Lao People’s Army as well as other orders to outstanding Lao groups and individuals.
Reported by Thu Trang from Vientiane, Laos
Translated by Thu Nguyen