Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (seating, left) and Lao Party General Secretary and State President Thongloun Sisoulith witness the signing of cooperation minutes between the two Public Securiry Ministries. (Photo: VNA)
After the official welcome ceremony on August 9, Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith co-chaired bilateral talks between the two high-ranking delegations.
After the talks, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the Vietnamese and Lao ministries, businesses and localities.
General To Lam, Politburo Member and Minister of Public Security, and his Lao counterpart, Senior Lieutenant General Vilay Lakhamphong signed a document of the 2020 Additional Cooperation Plan between the two Ministries of Public Security. Lieutenant General Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Public Security, and Lao Deputy Minister of Public Security Vanthong Kongmany signed a MoU on cooperation in drug prevention and control between the two ministries.
The two newly signed documents are expected to serve as a firm foundation for the two ministries to effectively implement other agreements, including the Agreement on transfer of persons sentenced to prison signed in early 2020; maintain exchange of information and situations related to security and order of the two countries; coordinate to fight activities undermining political security and social order and safety of each country; and prevent and combat transnational crimes, especially drug-related crimes, smuggling and trafficking in women and children.
On the same day, Minister To Lam, on behalf of Vietnamese Party and State leaders, presented honors, including 18 first-, second- and third-class “Independence” Orders and 39 first-, second- and third-class “Labour” Orders, to Lao units and officers.
The orders are the recognition and appreciation of the Vietnamese Party, State and people for the achievements the Lao Public Security Forces have recorded over the past six decades, Minister Lam said. Such achievements have contributed largely to consolidating and fostering the traditional friendship, unity and cooperation between the two ministries in safeguarding national security, and ensuring social order and safety of each country, he added.
The Vietnamese Public Security Forces always stand side by side, and fruitfully cooperate with their Lao counterparts in any circumstances to complete all the tasks entrusted the Parties, States and people of the two nations, defeating all hostile forces’ plots and activities aiming to undermine the friendship and solidarity between the two countries and peoples.
On behalf of the awardees, Lao Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamphong extended gratitude to the Party and State of Vietnam, saying that the Lao Public Security Forces have received impartial wholehearted support and assistance from the Vietnamese side over the past years.
Given the increasingly complicated situation in the region and the world, he suggested the Lao and Vietnamese public security forces raise vigilance against plots of hostile forces that aim to undermine the solidarity between the two countries, while strengthening coordination to perform their tasks.
