Chief of General Staff of Lao People’s Army visits Vietnam

Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army Sen. Lieut. Gen. Suvon Luongbunmi is paying an official visit to Vietnam from May 13-17 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang.

At the welcome ceremony for Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army Sen. Lieut. Gen. Suvon Luongbunmi (R) (Photo: VNA)
At the welcome ceremony for Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army Sen. Lieut. Gen. Suvon Luongbunmi (R) (Photo: VNA)

On the morning of May 14, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang chaired a ceremony to welcome Suvon Luongbunmi and the high-ranking military delegation of Laos.

Afterwards, the Lao military officers paid a courtesy call to Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich, who said the visit will make significant contributions to enhancing the special traditional friendship between the two countries, and bilateral defence cooperation in particular, for the sake of their people.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Luongbunmi said senior leaders of Laos and Vietnam and their armies have paid great attention to promoting ties in defence cooperative.

He expressed his belief that the sound relations and comprehensive cooperation between the Parties, States, armies, and peoples of Laos and Vietnam will be tightened and strengthened in the future, thus helping to maintain peace, stability, and development in each nation.

The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in training Lao military students and officers in Vietnam in addition to building a shared borderline of stability and comprehensive development.

Vietnam and Laos will also coordinate to speed up the search for and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Laos during the wartime as well as maintaining exchanges of delegations, culture, and sports, especially among young officers.

The same day, Sen. Lieut. Gen Phan Van Giang held talks with his Lao counterpart Suvon Luongbunmi.

They said the cooperation between the Vietnamese and Lao armies has become a key pillar for relations between the two countries, contributing to sustainable development and stability in other fields.

The two sides have strengthened coordination among forces to protect the shared borderline and prevent cross-border crimes, particularly drug crimes.

They also carried out training courses for military experts and officers, share experience and provide mutual support in building and improving the armies’ preparedness for combat.