Lao senior military officer visits Vietnam to boost defense partnership (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The ongoing official visit to Vietnam by Director of the General
Department of Politics of the Lao People’s Army Vilay Lakhamphong will contribute
to enhancing the special relations between the two countries, particularly the
bilateral defense cooperation, for the benefits of their people.
Senior
Lieutenant General Luong Cuong, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Central Committee, Director of the General Department of Politics of the
Vietnam People’s Army, made the statement during talks with the Lao officer in
Hanoi on August 2.
Cuong hailed
the two countries’ advisory bodies for proactively implementing activities to
celebrate the Vietnam-Laos and Laos-Vietnam Year of Solidarity and Friendship
2017, especially the successful organisation of meetings in Laos for ex-Lao
military trainees in Vietnam, a military youth festival in the north-western
province of Dien Bien, a culture-art campaign on the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia
fighting solidarity, and a border friendship exchange programme.
Such
activities are politically significant as they help increase mutual trust and
educate young generations on the traditional friendship and special solidarity
between the Vietnamese and Lao Parties, States and people, he added.
[Vietnam, Laos strengthen coordination to promote renovation]
Lakhamphong
expressed his belief that sound bilateral military relations will contribute to
reinforcing trust and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’
Parties, States, peoples and armies as well as the maintenance of peace,
stability and development in each nation.
The two sides
agreed to enhance cooperation in Party, political work, and protecting internal
politics, while stepping up communications about the long-standing amity,
special solidarity and all-around collaboration between Vietnamese and Lao
people and armies, and promoting the bilateral coordination in training,
regarding this as a long-term strategy.
They also
concurred to speed up the search for and repatriation of the remains of
Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Laos, as
well as soon publish the bilingual Vietnamese-Lao books and documentary films
reflecting the coordination of the two countries’ armies in the field.
Both nations
were unanimous to maintain delegation exchanges, especially among young officers,
establish twin ties between military units, and promote culture, art and sport
exchange programmes.
During the
working trip to Vietnam, the Lao military delegation is scheduled to meet Party
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Minister of National Defense General Ngo
Xuan Lich, and work with authorities of the People’s Committee of Dien Bien
province.
The visit is taking place at a time when Vietnam
and Laos are celebrating the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties
(September 5, 1962), and the 40th anniversary of signing the bilateral Treaty
of Amity and Cooperation (July 18, 1977).-VNA