NDO – Over the past 65 years, under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Laos has been constantly developing with a lot of significant achievements attained, the people’s living standards clearly improved, and the position and role of Laos unceasingly enhanced in the region and across the world.

The great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos have always remained warm and sustained, while being increasingly strengthened across various fields and indeed continuing to bear fruits.

In 2019, regardless of fluctuations in the world situation and facing numerous difficulties, especially the unprecedented floods and droughts, Laos still registered quite a high gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. In recent years, Laos’ economic growth rate has been maintained at about 6.5% per annum, which comes as a result of its persistence in implementing the goals of facilitating goods production, ensuring food security, attracting foreign investment in clean and high-tech agriculture, re-planning large projects on land use rights transfer and hydropower production, and moving towards building e-government.

The guidelines and policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the LPRP share many similarities concerning national construction and development goals. The Vietnam-Laos special relations, founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane and nurtured by generations of leaders and the people of the two countries, are developing at the highest rate so far. Regarding economic cooperation, two-way trade turnover has surpassed US$1 billion, reaching US$1.2 billion in 2019, up 12.6% year-on-year. A number of key projects between the two countries continue to be implemented, particularly the Lao National Assembly Building, a gift from the Party, State and people of Vietnam to the Party, State and people of Laos. The building, which is expected to be inaugurated later this year, is one of the symbols of the special relationship between the two countries.

Along with the economic, social and educational achievements, Vietnam-Laos cooperation in other fields has been increasingly tightened and deepened. The leaders of the two countries have also agreed to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation to safeguard political stability. The mutual visits made by the Party General Secretaries and Presidents of the two countries in 2019, and most recently the Lao Prime Minister’s visit to Vietnam and co-chairing of the 42nd meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee in January 2020, as well as many cooperative activities and the mutual support of the two countries’ peoples, will be a solid foundation toward inspiring the two countries to new victories and glories.

Vietnam-Laos special relations are a rare example of pure and faithful cohesion between two nations, just as affirmed by Pasaxon, the mouthpiece of the LPRP on the occasion of Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Laos in 2019. It is a relationship expressing the earnest wishes of the people of the two countries to unite, build equal, self-reliant and friendly relations, and cooperate for mutual benefit, the newspaper said, hailing the relationship as being comprehensive and sustainable throughout historical periods and stages, contributing to bringing about historic victories in the two countries’ past struggles for national independence and their current causes of national reform and construction jointly towards socialism.

Source: ND news