Stressing the enduring significance of the great Vietnam-Laos friendship in national building and safeguarding of both countries, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed Vietnam’s appreciation for Laos' support in national defense and development.
Vietnam will continue to stand by Laos as it navigates challenges and strives for sustainable growth, he said, reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to facilitating the two armies' cooperation.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Lao Deputy Minister of National Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army (LPA) Lt. Gen. Saichay Kommasith. |
Defense collaboration, he noted, stands as a crucial pillar of the bilateral relationship, underpinned by shared achievements across a wide range of areas, including joint military and defense planning, intelligence sharing, strategic consultations, mutual support in enhancing defense capabilities, human resources training, and effective mechanisms for military exchanges, dialogues and twinning.
Kommasith, for his part, informed the host about the successful talks between the General Staff of the LPA and the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, saying that both sides agreed to accelerate joint work, focusing on effectively realizing common perceptions reached by leaders, especially the 2024 Vietnam-Laos High-Level Agreement and outcomes of the recent trilateral meeting among leaders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
According to him, they pledged to enhance strategic consultations through high-level meetings and the Defense Policy Dialogue mechanism; reinforce border security coordination, including the building of border village clusters; prioritize human resources training, expand collaboration in logistics, information technology, defense industry, economic development and mutual support at multilateral forums.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested the two armies enhance coordination and provide strategic advice about national defense and security matters. He underscored the need of translating the outcomes of the February trilateral meetings among the party leaders and prime ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in Ho Chi Minh City into actions, thus reinforcing the close solidarity among the three nations and advancing existing cooperation mechanisms.
Key priorities include increasing military exchanges and joint activities, personnel training, collaboration in cybersecurity, logistics, and technical support, strengthening management and protection of the Vietnam-Laos border for peace, stability and development, fighting transnational crime, and enhancing awareness about the Vietnam – Laos great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive between the two countries and militaries.
Source: VNA