Lao Prime Minister Thongsin Thammavong received Vietnamese Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Vientiane on Jan. 8.
The Vietnamese Deputy PM was on a visit to Laos to attend the 34th session of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-governmental Committee on economic, cultural, education, scientific and technological cooperation.
Deputy PM Phuc, who is also Chairman of the Vietnam-Laos cooperation sub-committee, informed his host of the results of the 34th meeting of the joint committee, and affirmed that the implementation of the bilateral agreement on economic, cultural, education, scientific and technological cooperation in 2011 achieved good results.
To date, Vietnam has implemented 424 investment projects in Laos capitalised at US$3.57 billion.
This year, the two sides will work closely together to exchange information and popularise the special Vietnam-Laos relationship on the occasion of the Vietnam-Laos friendship year 2012.
PM Thongsin Thammavong expressed his wish that Vietnam and Laos will intensify cooperation in order to foster the two countries’ relations.
Also within the framework of his visit, Deputy PM Phuc attended a signing ceremony on Jan. 7 of an agreement to turn the Vientiane golf course and real estate project invested by Vietnam into an exclusive economic zone.
The agreement was signed by Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Somdy Douangdy and Chief Executive Officer Le Van Kiem of the Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trade Joint Stock Company, which is the project developer.
This special economic zone is expected to become a symbol of investment cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, said Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thoonglun Sisoulith at a later reception for the Long Thanh CEO.
Deputy PM Thoonglun Sisoulith thanked Kiem for the effective investment as well as his donation for charitable activities in Laos, such as building schools, houses for disadvantaged people and cemetery for fallen soldiers and providing eye surgeries for 3,000 poor blind people, worth over $4.5 million.
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