The Lao official made the remarks in an interview granted to Nhan Dan Newspaper, on the occasion of Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh’s official visit to Vietnam from January 8 to 10, 2022, to co-chair the 44th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee and to launch the “Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022”.
Q: How did the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee prepare for the 44th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee, in order to serve the visit to Vietnam by the Lao PM?
A: Before this visit, we had prepared for many issues and coordinated with the Foreign Ministries of the two countries to make the visit a great success. Within the framework of the visit, Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh will attend the opening ceremony, celebrating two important events of both countries, including the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Laos and Vietnam and the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Laos-Vietnam Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
The 44th session of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee will review cooperation relations between the two countries in 2021. Although both countries have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cooperation between both sides continues to grow strongly.
The official visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in late June 2021, the official visit to Laos by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in early August 2021 and the official visit to Vietnam by Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane in early December 2021, shows that the special relationship between the two nations continues to grow for the benefit of the two peoples.
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Standing Vice Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee Viengsavanh Vilayphone grants an interview granted to Nhan Dan Newspaper on January 7. (Photo: Xuan Son)
Q: This year is the “Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year”. Can you tell us more about bilateral cooperation in education and human resource training, one of the key cooperation areas between the two countries?
A: Regarding educational cooperation, we highly appreciate the Vietnamese Government for granting more than 1,000 scholarships to Laos each year. We have selected subjects to study in Vietnam under the Government support programme and we have given them four-month scholarships to study Vietnamese before coming to Vietnam in order to have better learning results.
The Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee is considering the management of Lao students learning in Vietnam in the form of twinned cooperation between provinces, as well as self-sufficient students, so that the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports can manage them. The graduates from Vietnam have and will make a significant contribution to the construction and development of Laos, being a core and reliable force of officials. The governments of Vietnam and Laos both see the importance of this work, so the Vietnamese Government has granted more than 1,000 scholarships to Laos each year, while the Lao Government receives 60 Vietnamese students each year.
Q: How do you assess the prospects of bilateral cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure, in order to promote trade between the two countries?
A: The connection in transport infrastructure is a significantly important factor in travelling between the two countries. We have many joint projects, such as the Vientiane-Hanoi Expressway project, which includes the upgrade of the National Highway 8 from Vientiane to the Cau Treo border gate. Another project is the connection of the East-West Economic Corridor, that the two sides must jointly implement to facilitate bilateral trade.
As Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said, the two countries need a new cooperative mindset with strong and specially breakthrough measures to free up resources for economic cooperation, while promptly solving obstacles in bilateral cooperation, in that Vietnam has opened its market of 100 million people for goods and agricultural products of Laos. Therefore, we will discuss with the relevant agencies of Vietnam to implement this content.
Thank you so much!
