PM Dung holds talks with Lao Party General Secretary

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (left) talks with Lao Party General Secretary and President Choummaly Sayasone in Laos. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam

Dung affirmed that the Party, State, Government and people of Viet Nam always stood side by side with Laos, wishing the host country prosperous development and its people happy lives.

The Vietnamese Government would instruct relevant ministries, agencies and localities to actively join hands with their counterparts to implement the agreements reached by leaders of both countries in order to improve bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment, Dung said.

The Vietnamese leader congratulated the Lao people on their achievements in internal and international affairs under the sound leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, which he said would help increase Laos's prestige in the regional and international arena.

For his part, Choummaly Sayasone thanked the Vietnamese side for its assistance and spoke highly of the country's role in the summits.

He expressed delight at the further development in the countries' bilateral ties as well as the practical activities jointly held by the two sides to mark the 2012 Friendship and Solidarity Year, which sought to help the two peoples, especially youth, gain more profound understanding of the two countries' ties.

The same day, Prime Minister Dung also met with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

During the talks, leaders of the three countries agreed to ensure the safety and security of the Mekong River's water. They also agreed to continue to support the common stance of ASEAN as stated in the six-point principles on the East Sea.

PM chairs CLV Summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung chaired the 7th summit of the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle, held in Vientiane yesterday.

Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, as well as representatives from the three countries' ministries and branches, also attended the meeting.

The three leaders appreciated the efforts made by the triangle's 13 provinces in socio-economic development, especially when the world and the region are facing many economic difficulties.

They expressed determination to continue fostering comprehensive cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and for the prosperity of each country.

At the meeting, Viet Nam's Minister of Planning and Investment, Bui Quang Vinh , who heads the Joint Coordination Committee for the triangle, presented a report on its results.

The implementation of the adjusted socio-economic development master plan for the triangle in the 2010-2020 period, and the Memorandum of Understanding on special preferential policies for the area were highlighted in Vinh's report.

The report proposed measures to enhance cooperation and attract more investment into the region.

At the end of the summit, the three prime ministers signed a joint statement, affirming their commitment to improve living standards of people in the triangle's 13 provinces and turn the area into a typical example of success in regional cooperation.

Regional integration

On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended the 6th CLMV Summit in Vientiane, which was chaired by Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.

He suggested that Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) need to accelerate regional integration, consolidate and improve their role in regional and global production, and narrow the development gap between them and other ASEAN countries.

Dung affirmed the Vietnamese Government's strong commitment to CLMV cooperation and said he hoped the four countries' governments would continue working closely to implement cooperative programmes in the future.

CLMV leaders reviewed projects and action programmes implemented since the last CLMV Summit, in Phnom Penh in 2010, and discussed directions to narrow the development gap between the four countries and other ASEAN members to build an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The leaders hailed the efforts of CLMV economic ministers to fulfil most of the cooperation projects in the 2011-2012 CLMV Action Plan, and efforts of tourism ministers to build a common tourism strategy for the 2013-2015 period, as well as successes in trade-investment cooperation, including the implementation of the "One Door – One Stop" model at the Lao Bao (Viet Nam) – Densavan (Laos) border.

The four countries will focus on intensifying cooperation in trade, investment and tourism, and implement the ASEAN Community's establishment roadmap and the ASEAN master plan on connectivity to accelerate integration with in the association.

They will develop transport links among the four nations and make full use of regional corridors, including the East-West Economic Corridor, the North-South Corridor and the South Corridor, as well as speed up the implementation of a multilateral agreement on aviation services.