Friendship year contributes to Vietnam’s diplomatic successes in 2017
The Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year were successful, contributing to Vietnam’s diplomatic achievements in 2017.
The national steering committee for the Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year holds a meeting on January 24 to review its activities (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam-Laos Solidarity andFriendship Year and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year were successful,contributing to Vietnam’s diplomatic achievements in 2017, said Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
He made the remark at a meeting on January 24reviewing activities of the national steering committee for the Year.
He said Vietnam’s relations with neighbouringLaos and Cambodia were continually reinforced in all aspects last year.
During the Year, Vietnam and Laos coordinated inorganising more than 170 celebratory activities and exchanging nearly 300delegations from central to local levels. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Cambodia heldnearly 70 celebratory activities and almost 100 mutual visits at all levels.
Cooperation between Vietnamese ministries,sectors and localities with their Lao and Cambodian counterparts wasimplemented effectively in politics-security-defence, transport, training,culture, health care, and telecommunications, Minh said, noting that bilateralcooperation mechanisms have been maintained and proved effective.
He added diverse people-to-people diplomaticactivities were organised. Many agencies, sectors, and organisations in Vietnamopened contests on Vietnam-Laos and Vietnam-Cambodia ties, sports and artsprogrammes, and photo exhibitions on their solidarity, friendship, andall-round connections. Media outlets of the three countries also posted a numberof articles on Vietnam-Laos and Vietnam-Cambodia relations.
The Deputy PM affirmed that with diverseactivities, the Year helped improve the awareness of the countries’ traditionalties among Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian people, especially young generations.
He also applauded efforts and contributions byministries, sectors, localities, and organisations to the Year.
As Laos and Cambodia are especially important toVietnam’s security, stability and development and Vietnam’s sound relationswith the two neighbours have been nurtured for generations, Vietnam must payeven greater attention to enhancing the solidarity, friendship, and sustainablecooperation with them, he stressed.
Minh asked local ministries, sectors,localities, organisations, and businesses to bring into play the outcomes ofthe Year to promote comprehensive cooperation with Laos and Cambodia for thesake of each country’s people.-VNA
The Vietnamese Party, State and army always attach much importance to the relations with Laos, said Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich, who is visiting Laos from January 15-17.
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Cambodia’s Senate Vice President Tep Ngorn stressed the need to continue nurturing and expanding the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Prak Nguon Hong has proposed that Vietnam’s northern province of Thai Nguyen continue receiving more Cambodian students and expanding fields of training for them.
Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and the Lao province of Savannakhet have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the formation of bilateral friendly and cooperative partnership to facilitate their ties’ growth in the future.
Through many ups and downs of history, Cambodia-Vietnam relations have become increasingly closer and stronger. The ties are currently developing based on the motto of “Good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability” from 2005 until today.
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The national steering committee for the Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year holds a meeting on January 24 to review its activities (Photo: VNA) 
