Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – At the invitation of General Nguyen Tan Quang, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Standing Committee Member of the Central Military Commission, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, and Deputy Minister of National Defense, a high-level military delegation of the Lao People's Army, headed by Lieutenant General Saichay Kommasith, Deputy Minister of National Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army, paid an official visit to Vietnam from March 4 to 6.
On the morning of March 5, General Nguyen Tan Quang presided over a welcoming ceremony at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters to welcome the high-level military delegation of the Lao People's Army. Following the welcoming ceremony, the two sides held talks.
During the talks, General Nguyen Tan Quang emphasized that in recent years, defense cooperation between the two countries has generally achieved substantial results, especially the cooperation between the General Staffs of the two People's Armies, which has further consolidated one of the important pillars of Vietnam-Laos bilateral relations.
During the talks, the two sides also exchanged views on the international and regional situation of common concern and the situation of their respective armed forces.
Going forward, based on the agreements signed by the leaders of the two countries' defense ministries, both sides agreed to focus their cooperation on the following key areas: effectively implementing the consensus reached by the senior leaders of the two countries, particularly the outcomes of the 2024 Vietnam-Laos High-Level Agreement and the meeting of leaders of the three parties of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia on February 22, 2025; strengthening exchanges on strategic issues through high-level meetings and defense policy dialogue mechanisms; and supporting Laos in establishing a UN peacekeeping force.
Furthermore, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation among the various branches of the armed forces and border guards, emphasizing cooperation in human resource training, promoting cooperation in logistics, information technology, and the defense industry, and continuing to support each other in multilateral forums.
Lieutenant General Say Chay Kongmasey stated that both sides will continue to deepen cooperation based on the signed agreements, further consolidating and developing the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperative relationship between the two countries and their armed forces, ensuring its enduring legacy for generations to come.
On the morning of March 5, General Phan Van Giang, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defense, met with Lieutenant General Say Chay Kongmasey.
General Phan Van Giang emphasized that defense cooperation has always been a crucial pillar of bilateral relations, making positive contributions to consolidating political mutual trust and the solidarity and friendship between the two militaries. The mechanisms and forms of cooperation between the two sides have become increasingly diverse, border security and order have been further stabilized, human resource training cooperation has received attention, and cooperation in defense industry and defense economy has achieved greater results.
General Phan Van Giang suggested that both sides continue to closely coordinate and implement the cooperation directions reached at the trilateral meeting of leaders of the three parties of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in February 2025, as well as the cooperation content agreed upon by the leaders of the two defense ministries. He stressed the importance of improving the quality of human resource training, strengthening border management and protection cooperation, enhancing consultation on military, political, and defense affairs, supporting Laos in building a UN peacekeeping force, and jointly hosting the annual trilateral defense ministers' meeting in 2025. Lieutenant General Saychai Kongmasi reported the results of the talks to General Phan Van Giang, stating that the General Staff of the Lao People's Army and the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army will effectively advance various cooperation initiatives in accordance with the cooperation agreements signed by the leaders of the two defense ministries. (End)
