THE governments of Laos and Malaysia agreed to further cooperation in areas with strong potential and shared views on emerging regional and international situations of mutual interest.

A bilateral meeting between Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith and Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir was held in Lao capital Vientiane yesterday.

The two ministers reviewed cooperation between Laos and Malaysia since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1966 and were in agreement on the value of their friendship and cooperation, which has seen continuous growth over the years in the fields such as defence, trade, investment, energy, education and banking, Xinhua quoted a Lao News Agency report.

Both countries will continue to cooperate and support each other in regional and global arenas, especially within Asean and the United Nations’ frameworks.

At the meeting, the two ministers also discussed Laos’ preparations to assume the chairmanship of Asean and launch the Visit Laos Year tourism programme in 2024. Malaysia will assist Laos in becoming the Asean chair next year.

Saleumxay expressed thanks for the support and assistance from the government and people of Malaysia, especially the assistance for human resource development provided through the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme, training funds as well as assistance during the Covid outbreak. – Bernama, June 27, 2023.