Shortly after the ceremony, the two senior military officers held talks on defence cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
Sen. Lieu. Gen. Cuong welcomed the Lao guest’s visit which he said will give fresh impetus to cooperation between the two armies, helping to consolidate and further strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
Sen. Lieu. Gen. Outhakaysone affirmed that Laos always highly values the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, which he said will create a source of strength to repel plots to divide the Vietnam – Laos relationship.
The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, noting regional and global security is currently experiencing many complicated changes, especially when traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as diseases, climate change, maritime security, and disputes over territorial sovereignty are posing great threats to peace and stability regionally and globally.
They consented that in recent times the militaries of Vietnam and Laos played a pivotal role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the same time coordinated closely in carrying out military missions in accordance with the annual cooperation plan, recording important results.
Defense cooperation is one of the important pillars in the overall relationship as evidenced by regular high-level exchanges and contacts, they said.
Notably, the two Defence Ministries successfully co-hosted the first Vietnam - Laos border defense friendship exchange in December 2021, helping promote the spirit of solidarity, mutual assistance and close bond between the peoples and armies of the two countries.
The two sides closely coordinated in sharing information and combating cross-border crime, to build a common border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
In addition, cooperation in human resource training also yielded important results. Despite difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in each country, the two militaries promptly supported each other with supplies and equipment for pandemic prevention and control.
With regard to future cooperation, the two sides agreed to effectively carry out activities to celebrate the Year of Friendship and Solidarity between Vietnam - Laos, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and 45 years of the signing of the Vietnam - Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
They will comprehensively implement the 2022 cooperation plan between the two Defense Ministries, focusing on a number of key areas such as enhancing cooperation and information exchange between their border guards, deploying joint patrols, and combating crime, illegal migration, while supporting each other at multilateral and regional forums.
Sen. Lieu. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong invited leaders of the Lao Ministry of Defense to attend the first international defense expo, the ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting (ACAMM) and the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet to be held in coming months.
