Hanoi (VNA) – Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh received visiting Lao Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign AffairsSaleumxay Kommasith in Hanoi on December 7.

Congratulating Laos on the 47th National Day (December 2), PM Chinh said the great friendship, specialsolidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos are uniquein the world, asking the two sides to continue educating younger generations onthe relations, which are a priceless asset of both peoples.

He also called on the two countriesto coordinate with each other to develop independent and self-reliant economiesthat extensively, substantively, and effectively integrate into the world.

Saleumxay Kommasith, who is in Vietnam toco-chair a conference disseminating policies and laws to exemplary leaders ofvillages in the countries’ border areas, thanked the Vietnamese Party, State,and people for consistently supporting and standing side by side with their Laocounterparts.

He said the dissemination conference,held in Nghe An province from December 5 to 7, would help further step upcooperation between border localities of Vietnam and Laos, especially ininfrastructure building, health care, human resources development, and safeguardingof security, order, and safety in border areas.

At the meeting, both host and guestexpressed their delight at significant achievements in the countries’cooperation, including the strong growth in bilateral trade that reached 1.4billion USD in the first 10 months of 2022.

The two countries have increasedhigh-level mutual visits and meetings, boosted bilateral cooperation mechanisms,and successfully organised many activities during the Vietnam - Laos Solidarityand Friendship Year 2022, which marks the 60th anniversary ofdiplomatic relations and 45 years since the signing of the Treaty of Friendshipand Cooperation, they said.

PM Chinh and Deputy PM Saleumxay Kommasithshared the view that amid the complex international and regional situations, itis necessary to keep joint efforts to unceasingly strengthen the greatfriendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnamand Laos.

They also agreed to properly carryout the remaining high-level delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms inthe Solidarity and Friendship Year, including the 45th meeting ofthe Vietnam - Laos Inter-governmental Committee and the closing ceremony of theSolidarity and Friendship Year.

The two sides will push ahead withcooperation pillars such as politics, defence - security, and economy - trade -investment. They will also focus on tackling bottlenecks and problems toaccelerate key projects while improving the effectiveness of cooperation inhuman resources training, culture, and people-to-people exchange, they added./.