PM Phuc meets Thai and Lao counterparts on fringes of ACMECS 8

At their meeting, PM Phuc and Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha showed their delight at the development of the bilateral strategic partnership in multiple fields, especially in economics, trade and investment and consented to expedite the implementation of important cooperation mechanisms in 2018, especially the fourth joint cabinet meeting, the meeting of the Joint Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, and the third meeting of the Vietnam – Thailand Joint Trade Committee.

They agreed to build roads along the East-West economic corridor and launch road and waterway connectivity projects to serve trade, transport, tourism and people-to-people exchanges among regional countries.

PM Phuc applauded Thailand’s role, initiatives and contributions within the ACMECS framework, hoping that that the summit will notch up great success with practical results.

He also thanked PM Chan-o-cha for directing the registration and granting of permits to Vietnamese workers and asked the Thai government to extend working areas for Vietnamese guest workers within the bilateral labour cooperation agreement framework.

PM Chan-o-cha, in turn extolled Vietnam’s position and role in the region and ACMECS cooperation in particular and expressed a desire to continue strengthening the bilateral partnership on the basis of increasingly heightened trust, and jointly dealing with existing matters to facilitate trade and investment ties. He told his guest that he wants Vietnam to offer more possible support to Thai enterprises’ investments in the country.

On the occasion, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank and the Enterprise Development Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, and a contract between Vietnam’s Xuan Cau Ltd Company and Thailand’s B.Grimm to develop Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 solar power plants in the southern province of Tay Ninh.

The same day, PM Phuc and his wife attended a banquet hosted by their Thai counterparts.

Talking to his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, PM Phuc affirmed the Party, Government and people of Vietnam’s recognition of importance to reinforcing the special relationship with Laos, Both sides noted with satisfaction new steps of development in the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship, special solidarity and all-around cooperation.

With the determination to further boost bilateral ties, the two leader concurred to work together to speed up the full implementation of high-level agreements and the outcomes of the 40th meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee and underlined the need to remove obstacles, particularly in key projects on energy, mining, and transport connectivity.

PM Phuc said he believes that the Lao Party, Government and people will successfully carry out the goals set in the Resolution of the 10th Party Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the eight five-year socio-economic development plan for 2016 -2020.

He thanked the governments of Laos and other ASEAN member states for their commitments to supporting Vietnam’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 term. He also thanked Laos for its support to Vietnam’s initiatives at the UN Human Rights Council.

The two nations should continue exchanging information and work hand in hand in ASEAN and at multilateral forums for peace, security and sustainable development in each country, in the region and the world as a whole.

PM Sisoulith said he will soon meet and have discussions with Vietnamese businesses operating in Laos and pledged to direct Lao ministries, sectors and localities to work with their Vietnamese partners to deal with difficulties and obstacles in cooperation, particularly in major projects.

PM Phuc used the occasion to thank his counterpart for having accepted an invitation to attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi next September.