Promoting Vietnam-Laos special solidarity relations

At the invitation of Lao General Secretary and President Choummaly Sayasone, President Truong Tan Sang will arrive in Attapeu province to attend the opening ceremony of Attapeu Airport.

This is an important event as the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos continue to see fine, effective and substantive development.
The two nations frequently hold high-level visits and meetings, recent exchanges include President Truong Tan Sang’s working visit to Laos in March 2015 and Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou’s visit to and attendance at the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Vietnam. The two sides are actively implementing agreements signed between senior leaders and results of the 37th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Joint Committee.

Under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), the Lao people have overcome numerous difficulties to achieve resounding victories in the struggle for national independence and national development. In 2014, Laos’ economy grew by 7.5%, the poverty rate fell to 8.11% and people’s living standards improved significantly. The country has also continued to expand its international relations and its position in the world has increasingly advanced. Such achievements will lay a solid foundation for Laos to successfully accomplish the goals set for 2015 and the resolution of the LPRP’s 9th Congress, in preparation for the upcoming 10th National Party Congress.

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s attendance at the inauguration of Attapeu Airport aims to promote and strengthen the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos while encouraging Vietnamese enterprises to invest in Attapeu province and Laos’ southern region.

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his Lao counterpart Chummaly Sayasone

The Attapeu International Airport project has cost a total of US$36 million and is funded by Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group under the build-transfer model. This project is highly significant to political, economic, defence and security cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. The project is also expected to promote tourism and air freight transport, contributing to the economic development of Laos and Attapeu province in particular.

Attapeu is a civil airport with a 1,850-metre long runway, able to accommodate such aircrafts as the ATR-72, Fokker and similar models. Its passenger terminal has an area of 4,300m2 with a capacity of 300 passengers per day. The airport also boasts a 12,000m2 car park, surrounded by green spaces and lakes, and connects with motorway 18B.

We are proud of the continuous development of the Vietnam-Laos special relationship. Throughout history, the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and leaders and people of the two countries have become invaluable assets of the two Parties, two peoples and a crucial factor ensuring the victory of revolutionary causes in both countries.

We are pleased to see the Vietnam-Laos special relationship continue to be strengthened in a more effective and substantive manner in all areas of cooperation. Vietnam is currently the third largest foreign investor in Laos, with around US$5 billion in 413 projects. Bilateral trade reached US$1.4 billion in 2014, up 24.5% against a year earlier and is expected to hit US$2 billion in 2015. The two sides have actively exchanged information and coordinated on international and regional issues in forums such as the ASEAN, the United Nations and regional cooperation frameworks.

We are delighted to see the rapid development in the beautiful land of plumeria flowers and sincerely wish the Lao people will successfully build a strong and prosperous nation with an increasingly heightened position on the international stage. We are determined to preserve and foster the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries for the sake of the two peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)