National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his Lao counterpart Saysomphone Phomvihane held talks in Vientiane on October 17, right after the welcome ceremony.

Phomvihane welcomed Man and a delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly to pay an official visit to Laos and attend the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45) chaired by Laos.

He expressed his belief that the first Laos visit by Man in his current capacity will help tighten and foster the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in general and good collaboration between the two legislatures in particular.

The visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation led by Chairman Man to AIPA-45 is a great source of encouragement for Laos, contributing to the success of AIPA-45 and further tightening ties between the two countries, he said.

He thanked Vietnam for its support as Laos undertakes the roles of ASEAN Chair and AIPA Chair in 2024.

Man congratulated Laos on its comprehensive achievements of historic significance after nearly 40 decades of renewal, including those in the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress and the 9th socio-economic development plan for 2021-2025. He believed that under the sound leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Laos will successfully organise the 12th National Party Congress in early 2026 and fulfil its national development strategies.

Vietnam consistently prioritises its special traditional relationship with Laos, standing side by side with Laos in its national construction, defence and development, he said.

The two top legislators concurred that the Vietnam - Laos great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Suphanouvong, generations of leaders of the two countries' Parties and States, and people, forged through challenges, and built on the efforts and blood of soldiers, have become an invaluable asset of the two peoples.

The two leaders expressed their delight at outcomes of the strong cooperation between the two Parties and States, particularly a recent meeting of their Politburos to review and outline collaborative tasks. They also acknowledged the effectiveness of ongoing exchanges of delegations and bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Regarding trade and investment, the host hailed Vietnam as one of the top investors in Laos, with about 241 projects worth around 5.47 billion USD.

He urged the Vietnamese NA to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation, particularly by increasing two-way trade. Impressed by Vietnam's agricultural successes, especially with many high-value economic products, he wished Vietnam to share its experiences in this field.

The two leaders laid stress on the thriving cooperation between the two legislatures, saying that both sides are actively realising the cooperation agreement signed by the two legislatures in May 2022. Besides, they have maintained regularly the exchange of delegations at all levels, provided mutual support at international and regional inter-parliamentary forums, coordinated to hold thematic workshops and seminars during visits by the two countries' NA leaders. Notably, they have conducted joint oversight over important strategic economic projects.

They spoke highly of the visit to Laos by NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh in July and one to Vietnam by Lao NA Vice Chairman Sommad Pholsena in September, during which the two sides shared experience in and practical lessons on the amendment of the constitutions and laws to serve development requirements in the new period as well as building and implementation of socio-economic development policies.

Man affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to share experience with Laos in this area.

Regarding the book featuring the relations between the two parliaments over the past five decades, they proposed that both sides join hands to study and speed up the compilation of the book to spotlight the development, achievements, and experience to improve the cooperation efficacy in the new period while raising public awareness of the close bonds between the two NAs.

With a view to bolstering the bilateral collaboration, the two top legislators were unanimous to continue carrying out discussions and experience sharing in the areas of mutual interests, especially in building and completing institutions, legal system, supreme supervision and decision making in important issues. They also reached consensus on implementing cooperation activities in flexible forms while joining hands to supervise the implementation of bilateral agreements and investment projects and recommending measures to remove bottlenecks and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to run their business in Laos.

They urged the completion of institutions and policies to facilitate the implementation of high-level agreements between the two Politburos and Government.

Besides, they underlined the significance to enhance solidarity, close coordination and support at regional and international forums, particularly the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Asia – Pacific Parliamentary Forum, contributing to maintaining an environment of peace and stability for development.

Man expressed his hope that the two legislative bodies will further promote their roles in extending the strength of cooperation in politics, defence, and security to economy and other areas. He called for the establishment of cooperative mechanisms to settle challenges and create momentum for the development of the bilateral ties.

After the talks, the two NA leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnamese NA’s Committee on External Relations and the Lao NA’s Foreign Affairs Committee and one on the establishment of friendship cooperation ties between Hoi An city in Vietnam's Quang Nam province and Luang Prabang city in the Lao province of same name./.