Diverse activities planned for Vietnam–Laos Friendship Year
(VOV) - Vietnam and Laos will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2012, as well as the 35th anniversary of the signing of their bilateral Friendship and Cooperation Treaty.
Leaders from the two countries chose 2012 as the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year and will organise a wide range of activities throughout the year to strengthen the traditional ties of special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
At a meeting in Hanoi on February 6, Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and head of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Year’s Organising Board, emphasized some of the urgent tasks ahead. Sub-committees for communication, trade cooperation and security need to be established by February 15 to plan for various activities including exchange visits, grand meetings in both capital cities and presentations of State distinctions to leaders and officials of the two countries.
Other activities will include meetings between ministries, departments and localities, in addition to cultural, sports and arts exchanges, aimed at increasing the awareness of the special ties between Vietnam and Laos.
The Chairman of the Vietnam-Lao Cooperation Sub-Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, reaffirmed the special political significance of the event and the need to educate the younger generations about bilateral ties. He urged relevant agencies and localities to devise specific plans and coordinate closely with their Lao counterparts in successfully organizing thes
