Phnom Penh (FN), Apr. 24 – Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith reaffirmed Laos’ commitment to maintaining strong relations with Cambodia despite regional and global challenges.

Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on 23 April 2024 at the Peace Palace.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet expressed gratitude to Laos for consistently regarding Cambodia as a friendly neighbour. He pledged to further strengthen and expand this enduring friendship, aiming for tangible outcomes through bilateral cooperation across various key sectors, including energy, connectivity, border affairs, combating transnational crime, defence and security, and fostering people-to-people ties between the two nations.

For his part, Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith affirmed his dedication to overcoming regional and global challenges, thereby sustaining the close and enduring friendship and solidarity between the two countries. He also underlined the importance of elevating bilateral relations to benefit both peoples and nations.

In addition, the Laotian president expressed gratitude to Cambodia for its support during Laos's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2024. Laos intended to draw lessons from Cambodia's successful chairmanship of ASEAN in 2022.

President Thongloun Sisoulith further announced that he would warmly welcome the Cambodian Prime Minister's attendance at the ASEAN Summit in October 2024.

Cambodia and Laos established official diplomatic relations on 15 June 1956. Their relationship was elevated to a comprehensive and long-term strategic partnership during President Thongloun Sisoulith's official visit to Cambodia on 12-13 September 2019, when he was serving as the Prime Minister of Laos.

As neighbouring countries, Cambodia and Laos have continuously strengthened their relations and maintained a spirit of mutual assistance during challenging times.
=FRESH NEWS