VIENTIANE – Vietnamese businesse see Laos as an attractive destination and will continue to invest in the country despite a slowdown in outbound investment, Planning and Investment Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng said on Saturday.
Dũng, also Chairman of the Việt Nam-Laos Co-operation Committee, told Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane that Vietnamese firms hope for continued support from the Lao Government.
He informed the PM about the goals of his working visit and outcomes of talks between the two Planning and Investment ministries.
The Lao PM was also briefed on the results of the Vietnamese delegation’s trips to Phongsaly and Udomsay provinces.
Dũng praised the smooth co-ordination between the two countries in organising activities to mark the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and 40 years of the signing of the Việt Nam-Laos Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation.
PM Thongloun Sisoulith appreciated the Vietnamese delegation’s trip to the remote and disadvantaged localities of Laos, which he said will help the Vietnamese side to have accurate assessment about Laos’ socio-economic situation.
He highlighted the important role played by the Việt Nam-Laos and Laos-Việt Nam Co-operation Committees in implementing agreements reached at the 39th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee held in Hà Nội in February 2017.
He urged the committees to make greater efforts, considering that bilateral economic and trade ties have remained stagnant and not matched potential as well as aspirations of their leaders.
Earlier the same day, Minister Dũng and his Lao counterpart Souphan Keomisay held talks to review co-operation between their ministries as well as the two committees, and set orientations in the time to come.
They also discussed preparations for the 40th meeting of the Việt Nam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee to be held in Vietnam in early 2018. — VNS
