Vietnamese, Lao foreign ministers hold online talks

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung on December 12 held online talks with his Lao counterpart, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, to discuss bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

Trung highlighted Party General Secretary To Lam’s recent state visit to Laos, during which he attended celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Laos' National Day and co-chaired the high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP); as well as Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to Laos to co-chair the 48th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Intergovernmental Committee, both taking place earlier this month.

He stressed that these recent diplomatic activities marked an important milestone, opening up a new chapter and elevating relations between the two Parties and the two countries to new heights with deeper substance.

For his part, Thongsavanh expressed delight at the strong and increasingly elevated development of the bilateral relationship, acknowledging the consistent maintenance of high-level exchanges, which reflects the close-knit and trustworthy ties between the two Parties, States and people of Laos and Vietnam.

On this occasion, while agreeing to continue close coordination in effectively implementing high-level agreements and jointly preparing for the upcoming National Party Congress of each country, both sides also emphasised the need to advance the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the two foreign ministries for the 2026-2030 period.

The two ministers agreed to maintain close coordination in the time ahead and to expand cooperation under the new framework and orientation, underscoring the significance of the two countries’ “great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation, strategic cohesion”. They affirmed that the new relationship framework embodies a shared vision, intertwined strategic interests and a long-term commitment to sustainable development, resilience and shared prosperity of both peoples.

Exchanging views on regional and global developments, the ministers agreed to continue active consultations and close coordination on matters of mutual interest in the region, particularly within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for peace, stability and sustainable development.

Trung extended his invitation to Thongsavanh to visit Vietnam and to co-chair the 12th foreign minister-level political consultation in the near future./.