Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (left) and PM Hun Manet inspect a guard of honour during the welcome ceremony at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Lao, Cambodian Prime Ministers vow to cement ties

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has told his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet that the leadership of the Party and government and the people of Laos remain committed to working with PM Manet to further enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership between Laos and Cambodia, during talks between the two premiers in Vientiane on Monday.
The Cambodian leader is making an official visit to Laos on March 25-26 at the invitation of PM Sonexay to enhance the friendly relations, traditional solidarity and comprehensive strategic partnership between the neighbouring countries, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
This is PM Manet’s first official visit to Laos after he was elected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia in August last year.
During their talks, PM Sonexay said he highly valued the visit by his counterpart, saying it is important to further elevate the longstanding relations between the neighbouring countries.
“The two sides agreed to closely coordinate to jointly implement agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries,” the Lao ministry said.
The two premiers witnessed the signing of a number of agreements aimed at further enhancing cooperation.
The Lao and Cambodian Prime Ministers agreed to enhance cooperation in the regional and international arenas. They briefed each other about outstanding developments in their respective countries and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest.
The two premiers reviewed the cooperation between Laos and Cambodia through lateral and multilateral frameworks over past years and noted with satisfaction the growing ties between the two countries.
Cooperation between the two countries spans areas such as national defence and security, border affairs, economic matters, trade and investment, public works and transport, hydroelectricity, finance, social and cultural affairs, and tourism.
In addition, cooperation through regional and sub-regional frameworks continues to grow, along with extending mutual support such as through the frameworks of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CLV); Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV); Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), and ASEAN.
PM Sonexay congratulated the Cambodian people on the achievements they have made under the leadership of PM Manet.
On behalf of the government and people of Laos, he also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Cambodia for the support and assistance extended to Laos over past years. 
For his part, PM Manet expressed heartfelt thanks to the government and people of Laos for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
The Cambodian PM reaffirmed his country’s continuing support and cooperation with Laos, especially for Laos’ ASEAN chairmanship this year. 
He invited PM Sonexay to make an official visit to Cambodia at a convenient time and the Lao premier accepted the invitation.
After their talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of cooperation deals including a ratification letter on the borderline convention, exchange of notes of the ratification letter, and an agreement on Phase II of energy cooperation.
The two sides also signed Memorandums of Understanding related to clean and renewable energy projects, with a view to exporting electricity from Laos to Cambodia.

ByTimes Reporters
 (Latest Update March 26, 2024)