Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, at a bilateral meeting in Russia on June 10-11. - Photo: Vientiane Times/ANN
VIENTIANE: Laos’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saleumxay Kommasith, has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and the foreign ministers of other countries.
The bilateral meetings took place during Saleumxay’s attendance at the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Meeting (BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries) on June 10-11 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
The Lao and Russian foreign ministers engaged in friendly discussions, centred on strengthening relations and cooperation between Laos and Russia in the fields of politics, energy and mining, public security and national defence, cybersecurity, railway logistics, culture and tourism, education, and other spheres.
The discussions followed on from meetings between the Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, and Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials in May.
During last week’s talks, the Lao and Russian foreign ministers discussed regional and global cooperation including between Asean and Russia.
Saleumxay also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss Laos-China relations, the countries’ strategic partnership, and important issues concerning the passage of people and freight across the Laos-China border between Boten and Mohan.
The two ministers also discussed development projects along the Laos-China Economic Corridor and the Laos-China Railway, which are aimed at spurring production, job creation, and the generation of income for local people.
They mulled the possibility of upgrading cooperation in tourism by taking advantage of Visit Laos Year 2024 to encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Laos and persuading more Chinese companies to enter into joint ventures with Laos’ private sector to improve infrastructure at Lao tourist attractions.
Saleumxay also met with Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to discuss future cooperation and promote the potential of agriculture, education, sports, tourism, and future investment.
The two foreign ministers reviewed multilateral cooperation including between Asean and Latin America, and between Asean and Brazil in particular, and issued invitations to visit each other’s country at an appropriate time.
Additionally, the Lao Deputy PM met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Seigei Aleinik, to discuss the strengthening of their longstanding relations and the possibility of conducting feasibility studies on cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education, sports, tourism and other sectors.
They touched on preparations for the 4th consultation meeting between the two ministries to be held in Belarus, and Saleumxay congratulated Belarus on considering the establishment of the Belarusian-Lao Friendship Association to foster closer ties between the peoples of the two countries.
The Deputy PM also took this opportunity to invite his Belarusian counterpart to visit Laos.
In a wrap-up bilateral meeting, Saleumxay and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, met for talks on their longstanding relations and reciprocal visits by high-ranking officials from the two countries.
They also agreed to encourage more visible investment and trade in the years to come.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Laos and Cuba when several activities were held by both countries to celebrate the occasion. - Vientiane Times/ANN
