Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (right), his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet (left) and Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chinh at the breakfast meet in Jakarta on Sept 5, 2023. - VT
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet and Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chinh agreed to deepen cooperation between the three neighbours during talks on the sidelines of the 43rd Asean Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
During their working breakfast on Tuesday (Sept 5), the three leaders agreed to step up cooperation in economic affairs, trade and investment, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
In particular, cooperation will be broadened in the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA), which spans 13 provinces of the three countries. This includes cooperation in infrastructure development to more closely connect and facilitate transport, tourism, and energy supply.
The leaders pledged to further extend mutual support and cooperation for each other’s country in the regional and international arenas, especially within the frameworks of the Mekong River Commission and Asean, the two groupings of which the three countries are members.
The premiers also agreed to push for the fulfilment of cooperation agreements previously arranged between them. They mentioned the need to hold further talks on jointly organising meetings to promote trade, investment and tourism as well as business-matching talks, according to the Lao ministry.
The leaders also exchanged views on issues of common interest.
They agreed to maintain regular bilateral and trilateral exchanges and contacts, and to hold future working breakfasts during their attendance at international meetings in order to bolster their solidarity, friendship and cooperation, to share views on regional and international issues of common concern, and to seek solutions to problems arising in the relations between the three countries, according to the Vietnam News.
The leaders also agreed to increase the effectiveness of existing trilateral cooperation mechanisms, including early organisation of the 13th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Summit and the first meeting of the Chairs of the three National Assemblies in Laos later this year, and to encourage exchanges between and the training of young people and youth leaders in order to foster stronger cooperative relations among the three Indochinese countries.
The three heads of government noted that cooperation in security and defence had seen significant progress. They were unanimous on the continued implementation of existing agreements and cooperation mechanisms, the sharing of information, and the improvement of cooperation efficiency in combating cyber and cross-border crime, the news agency said.
PM Sonexay expressed the hope that Laos would receive support and cooperation from Cambodia and Vietnam during Laos’ chairmanship of Asean in 2024, according to the Lao foreign ministry.
The Lao leader invited PM Hun Manet to pay an official visit to Laos in the near future.
