Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh hosts Lao Deputy FM hinh anh 1Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) receives Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Khamphau Ernthavan  (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on August 23 received Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Khamphau Ernthavan who has been in Vietnam to co-chair the third Vietnam-Laos political consultation at the deputy foreign minister-level.

At the meeting, Minh said he is delighted to see remarkable progress in the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, as well as the close and effective ties between the two foreign ministries.

He stressed the significance of the Vietnam-Laos political consultation mechanism at the deputy foreign minister-level, saying the two sides should discuss issues openly with mutual trust in an effort to deepen the two countries’ cooperation.

The Deputy PM also took the occasion to express his sympathy for the losses the Lao people have suffered due to the tragic dam break in Attapeu province in late July. He believed the Government of Laos and those affected would soon be able to overcome the hardship and return to normal life.

Ernthavan, for her part, expressed that the annual consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministers and the political consultation at the deputy foreign minister-level, initiated by Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh, have significantly contributed to strengthening the special ties between Vietnam and Laos at large and the two ministries in particular.

She congratulated Vietnam on the success of the 30th Diplomatic Conference and thanked the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its cooperation with and assistance to the Lao counterpart in recent years, especially in professional training for young diplomats.

On the behalf of the Party, State, and people of Laos, she showed gratitude towards the donations from Vietnam to aid relief efforts following the Lao dam collapse, and also extended his condolences over the losses after floods hit northern and central Vietnam recently.

The third political consultation at the deputy foreign minister level will take place in Hanoi on August 24 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Deputy FM Le Hoai Trung and his Lao counterpart Khamphau Ernthavan.-VNA 
VNA