On September 12, 2023, the mid-term conference of the Vietnam - Laos Cooperation Committee took place under the co-chairing of Minister of Planning and Investment of Vietnam Nguyen Chi Dung, Chairman of the Committee. Vietnam - Laos Cooperation Committee and Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Khamchen Vongphosy, Chairman of Laos - Vietnam Cooperation Committee

The conference took place in Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh province with representatives from ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries, including: the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Public Security, National Defense; Education and Agriculture and Rural Development; the People's Committee of Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa Province.

Minister Nguyen Chi Dung stated at the opening of the Conference that the two sides focused on reviewing and mid-term assessment of the implementation of the Vietnam-Laos cooperation agreement in 2023 and the Agreement. Identify key contents to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the final months of 2023 and until the end of the 2021-2025 period. This is meaningful and significant content.

Minister Nguyen Chi Dung informed about Vietnam's socio-economic situation and said that in 2023, the global economy recovered but there were many difficulties and challenges. Many major economies, including important Vietnamese trading partners, have grown slowly. The severe consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are lingering. Strategic competition in larger, more comprehensive countries, the tendency to gather forces, to increase the level of confrontation, the tendency to divide and polarize is increasing; the complexity of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, affecting the recovery of the post-CVID-19 world.

In the first eight months of 2023, the Vietnamese government implemented monetary policies, exemptions, reductions, and extensions of taxes and fees... Consequently, despite continuing difficulties, Vietnam's socioeconomic situation continues to improve, with many indicators and indicators improving compared to the same period last year, contributing to an improvement in the overall results of the first eight months of the year and the overall year estimate. 2023.

During the next time, Vietnam government continued to implement three strategies of the development of the world, the development, the system, the system, the system, the system, the system, the system of the system, theeconomic development; development technology development chip; development of international financial centers; develop new energy sources like hydrogen…

Overall, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized that, while the world and regional situation continued to fluctuate rapidly, with instability and unpredictability, under the regular attention and direction of the two Parties, the two States, and directly the Politburo and Government of the two countries, the contents of the Vietnam-Laos High-Level Agreement were approved by all levels. The party coordinates to actively deploy and achieve practical results; Vietnam-Laos bilateral cooperation in the period 2021-2023 has significant changes, making an important contribution to each country's development, consolidating and strengthening the two countries' great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.

Implementation of the Vietnam-Lao Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between 2021 and 2025, agreements on the Cooperation Plan between the two countries in 2021, 2022, and the first 6 months of 2023 have basically met the set goals.

Many investment projects of Vietnamese enterprises in Laos are operating successfully, contributing to socioeconomic development, job creation, and income growth. adding revenue to the Lao state budget, particularly in the fields of telecommunications, banking, rubber growing and processing, food production and processing, and milk.

The focus on supporting and solving difficulties for enterprises is strongly directed by the Government of the two countries and has been actively implemented by the ministries and sectors of the two countries. In the past, a number of key and important investment projects have been concentrated on solving difficulties, problems, and creating favorable conditions to speed up implementation.

The two parties have signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on Development and Connection of Vietnam-Lao Border Trade Infrastructure"; coordinating the revision of the Vietnam-Lao Trade Agreement, the Vietnam-Lao Border Trade Agreement, in line with the actual situation, providing maximum favorable conditions for both enterprises and authorities in the process.

Regarding the direction of cooperation between the two countries in the near future, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized that Vietnam's consistent policy is always to place the highest priority on the preservation and development of the special relationship between Viet Nam and Laos, which is priceless and vital to each country's revolutionary career.

In the near future, the two sides need to continue to review the contents of the Senior Leaders' Agreement, Annual Meetings between the two Politburo; Agreement on the Annual Cooperation Plan between the two Government; coordination, promotion of ministries, sectors, localities, and others. The relevant agency strives to successfully complete the 2023 Agreement on the Vietnam-Lao Cooperation Plan and the 2021-2025 Agreement on Vietnam-Lao Bilateral Cooperation.

Accordingly, strengthening political and diplomatic cooperation, bringing Vietnam-Lao political relations to a depth, playing a role in guiding the bilateral relations between the two countries, focusing on implementing the joint declarations and the high-level agreement between the two countries. Strengthen the pillars of cooperation between the two countries on defense and security; closely coordinate and ensure political, security, order and social security in each country, especially border security.

Promote cooperation and economic connectivity; improve the efficiency of cooperation; Focus on and prioritize improving the quality of educational cooperation and human resource training; Promote cooperation mechanisms through the two countries' cooperation committee mechanisms to coordinate, resolve difficulties, and promote economic cooperation effectively.

Minister of Planning and Investment of Lao Khoi-Nombo, The Chairman of the Lao-Viet Nam Cooperation Committee also reported on Laos' socio-economic development situation in the first eight months of 2023; the implementation of the Lao-Vietnam cooperation plan and the agreement on bilateral cooperation plans between the Government of Viet Nam and the Lao government between 2021 and 2023.

Minister Khamchen Vongphosy stated that from 2021 to the present, the two Parties - the two States of Laos and Vietnam, as well as the efforts of ministries, branches, and localities - have made the Cooperation Agreement for the period 2021-2025 generally organized and implemented, producing results in many aspects in all fields. Importantly, despite the fact that the regional and international situation remains complicated and unpredictable, political stability, social security, safety, order, and security are still maintained and solid; each side's economy is developing in the proposed direction.

Senior leaders' visits and meetings, as well as delegation exchanges at all levels, from central to local, include the exchange of lessons learned in resolving Vietnam's economic and financial difficulties. Nam for Laos is still being organized on a regular basis. Cooperation, aid, and investment projects of business sectors, particularly those of Vietnam, implemented in Lao PDR have largely been successfully completed, with some projects handed over. This makes an important contribution to Lao PDR's protection and development.

At the Conference, the two Ministers and Chairmen of the two countries' Cooperation Committees assessed that, while the world and regional situation in recent times has continued to change rapidly due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the contents of the Vietnam - Laos High-Level Agreement have been approved by all parties, with the regular attention and direction of the two Parties, the two States, and directly the Politburo and Government of the two countries. The parties collaborate to actively deploy and achieve practical results; Vietnam-Laos bilateral cooperation in the period 2021-2023 has undergone significant changes, making an important contribution to each country's development while consolidating and strengthening the two countries' great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.

The implementation of the Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between Vietnam and Laos for the period 2021-2025, as well as the Agreements on Cooperation Plans between the two countries for 2021, 2022, and the first six months of 2023, has largely achieved the goal. Politics, diplomacy, defense, security, the economy, industry, energy, transportation, education and training, health…

Also at this Conference, the two sides agreed to continue coordinating and promoting relevant ministries, branches, localities, and agencies in order to successfully complete the Agreement on the Vietnam Cooperation Plan - Laos in 2023 and the Agreement on bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Laos for the period 2021-2025, specifically strengthening political and diplomatic cooperation. Strengthen the foundations of cooperation between the two countries in defense and security; Continue to promote cooperation and economic connection; Continue to promote the growth of trade turnover between the two countries; Increase the speed of traffic between the two countries. Improve the quality of educational cooperation and human resource training; Promote the cooperation mechanism through the mechanism of the two countries' Cooperation Committee to coordinate, remove difficulties and obstacles, and promote the effectiveness of economic cooperation between the two countries.