President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Min Aung Hlaing, who is on a State Visit to Laos, was welcomed by President Mr Thongloun Sisoulith of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic with a Guard of Honour at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane yesterday morning.
Subsequently, the two Presidents held bilateral talks, accompanied by members of their respective delegations. During the meeting, President Mr Thongloun Sisoulith warmly welcomed the Myanmar delegation led by President U Min Aung Hlaing. He said the visit would further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries, elevate bilateral relations, and serve as an important milestone in both diplomatic relations and economic cooperation, while expressing confidence that the friendship and cooperation between the two nations would continue to grow during his presidency. Afterwards, President U Min Aung Hlaing said he was pleased to make his first State visit to Laos among ASEAN member states since assuming office and expressed his appreciation to President Mr Thongloun Sisoulith for the invitation to undertake the goodwill visit. He added that he also highly appreciated the recent visit to Myanmar by Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Thongsavanh Phomvihane. He said the purpose of his visit was to further strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two countries and elevate their strategic, multifaceted cooperation, and noting the deep-rooted historical ties, and that with both countries having formed new governments following their respective elections, the present period offered an important opportunity to open a new chapter of cooperation between the two governments.
The Myanmar President also discussed political developments and transitions in Myanmar, including the successful holding of a free and fair multiparty democratic general election, the ongoing implementation of the NCA pathway for internal peace, and the invitation extended to all ethnic armed organizations to participate in peace dialogues and for self-proclaimed PDF terrorist groups to return to the legal fold, as well as Myanmar’s commitment to prioritizing cordial relations not only with neighbouring countries but also with other nations in its foreign policy.
Continuing the discussion, the Lao President commended the government led by President U Min Aung Hlaing for making steady progress in advancing Myanmar’s political reforms. He said he had consistently worked to strengthen bilateral relations between Myanmar and Laos, noting their historical similarities, simultaneous accession to ASEAN, and close and friendly ties, and reaffirming Laos’s continued support as Myanmar’s trusted partner, while expressing his desire to further enhance relations as a positive example within ASEAN and globally, and describing the State Visit to Laos, following earlier visits to China and India, as diplomatically significant in both South-East Asia and the wider region.
The Lao President said he believed the Myanmar Government led by President U Min Aung Hlaing would achieve normal engagement with ASEAN in the near future, noting that member states are expected to maintain friendly relations under the ASEAN Charter, and expressed confidence in Myanmar’s ability to do so, while reaffirming Laos’s continued support and close friendship, expressing a desire to deepen bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, and pledging support for Myanmar’s national development and strengthened cooperation.
The two Presidents, together with members of their respective delegations, then held bilateral talks and exchanged views on various areas of cooperation, including the long-standing friendship, mutual understanding and trust between successive leaders of both countries; the establishment of the Myanmar-Laos Friendship Association and Laos-Myanmar Friendship Association to promote bilateral cooperation; the enhancement of inter-parliamentary relations and bilateral trade; the promotion of trade, cargo transport and people-to-people exchanges through the Myanmar-Laos Friendship Bridge; cooperation in defence, tourism, manufacturing, education, health, electricity and energy sectors; the improvement of livelihoods in border areas and maintenance of border stability; efforts to crack down on online gambling, including the destruction of seized assets and demolition of illegal structures; and the further elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.
Following the meeting, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony between the two countries was held. The MoUs on tourism cooperation between Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Culture and Laos’ Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and on the establishment of sister-city relations between Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, and Vientiane, the capital of Laos, were exchanged by officials of the two countries in the presence of the presidents of both countries.
Later, Union Minister at the President’s Office U Khin Maung Yi presented 640 vials of Myanmar-manufactured snake antivenom, donated by Myanmar, to Laos. The donation was received by a Lao Government official.
MNA/TH
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