Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. - Image from Vientiane Times/ANN
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): The Laos prime minister has called on everyone in Laos to support the government’s continuing chairmanship of Asean and hosting of the two Asean Summits taking place in Vientiane next month.
Laos will host and chair the 44th and 45th Asean Summits and related meetings scheduled for October 8-11.
The meetings will be attended by heads of state and government from the 10 Asean member countries and Asean’s external partners, comprising more than 20 countries and heads of regional and international organisations.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and government, on Thursday gave a speech inviting people of all ethnic groups to share in support for these meetings.
In his message, the premier said the year 2024 has huge significance as it has been designated Visit Laos Year and at the same time Laos is at the helm of the Asean regional bloc.
“Since Laos became a member of Asean on July 23, 1997, it has actively contributed to the work of Asean and chaired the bloc on three occasions. The first time was 2004-2005, the second was in 2016, and we are now chairing Asean for the third time, with Laos taking the leading role in the bloc from January 1 until the end of December,” he said.
Laos’ accession to Asean and its close involvement in Asean affairs, as well as its chairmanship of the bloc, have raised the country’s profile and esteem in the regional and global arenas.
The premier also said Laos’ membership in the bloc has publicised the country’s fine traditions and way of life among other countries, as well as drawing more support and cooperation in trade, investment, tourism and human resource development from other Asean countries.
Laos also works with external partners of Asean to strengthen its capacity to fulfil the Party and government’s mission to ensure the continued protection and development of Laos.
Laos’ chairmanship of Asean this year is taking place under the slogan “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”, in line with the government’s goal to transform the country from being merely landlocked into a centre of regional integration.
This aligns with Asean’s overarching goal to integrate and strengthen the regional bloc so that it is better able to deal with various challenges effectively and promptly in the midst of rapidly changing and complex circumstances, both in the region and worldwide, Dr Sonexay said.
“Over the past eight months of Laos’ Asean chairmanship, more achievements have been made. Numerous ministries and sectors, under the three pillars of the Asean Community, have hosted and chaired Asean meetings at various levels and successfully fulfilled their assigned responsibilities,” he added.
The 57th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related foreign ministerial meetings, which took place in Vientiane from July 24-27, resulted in successful outcomes that demonstrably reflected the wishes of all ministries and associated sectors, as well as all parties and Lao people from all walks of life.
“I, on behalf of the Party and government, would like to express my sincere appreciation for all the contributions to these outstanding outcomes in recent months. We will continue to host and chair Asean meetings until the end of the year in a bid to meet all of the planned goals,” Prime Minister Sonexay said.
“I, on behalf of the Central Party Committee, the government and the people of Laos, would like to take this opportunity to invite people from all walks of life, including civil servants, soldiers, the police, and Lao people of all ethnic groups across the country, to support us and assist in hosting upcoming meetings through contributions made in line with assigned roles and responsibilities,” he said.
All of the agencies involved will focus on security, the cleanliness of public and private spaces, and putting Laos’ special cultural characteristics on display.
Everyone is encouraged to give a warm welcome to conference delegates and support all aspects of the preparations for a successful hosting of the Summits.
The prime minister concluded by saying “I believe that through unity, Laos’ hosting and chairing of the 44th and 45th Asean Summits and related meetings will be a great success. Let’s come together as good hosts to ensure the continuing success of Laos’ Asean chairmanship and Visit Laos Year 2024.” - Vientiane Times/ANN
