President Thongloun Sisoulith (left) shakes hands with his Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung during their meeting in Seoul on Monday, marking the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership.
VIENTIANE: Laos and the Republic of Korea have upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Partnership during President Thongloun Sisoulith’s first official visit to Seoul in 12 years, marking a milestone in 30 years of relations.
The visit took place at the invitation of his counterpart, the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung, and was the first visit to Korea by Laos’ highest leader in 12 years.
It comes at a symbolic moment as the two countries mark 30 years of diplomatic relations, established on Oct 25, 1995, the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
President Thongloun and a high-level government delegation met for talks with President Lee at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Monday morning.
The two leaders agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership, aiming to deepen cooperation across a wide range of sectors and deliver tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries.
President Lee said he highly valued the visit by the Lao delegation, describing it as a historic milestone in three decades of Laos-Korea relations and a strong signal of mutual trust and friendship.
President Thongloun thanked the Korean government and people for their warm hospitality extended to his delegation, and congratulated President Lee on his election to the post in June this year.
He also praised the Republic of Korea for the successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit last month, saying it reflected the country’s growing role within the region and globally.
Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in economic development, trade and investment, education, tourism, labour, and infrastructure, with both sides stressing the importance of long-term and sustainable outcomes.
The two leaders also agreed to strengthen cooperation to address transnational crime and online fraud, which has become a growing concern in the region, and establish a cooperative mechanism to address these issues.
President Thongloun expressed deep appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s long-standing support to Laos through official development assistance, including loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund and projects such as the Saemaul Undong rural development programme.
He highlighted Korean support in public health, unexploded ordnance clearance, rural development, and human resource development, as well as assistance for Laos during the country’s Asean Chairmanship in 2024.
President Lee reaffirmed the Republic of Korea’s commitment to continue supporting Laos in the fields of labour, education and rural development, and to assist Laos’ strategy to build on its landlocked status by becoming a regional land link.
The two sides also agreed to create favourable conditions for investors and to support each other within Asean-Korea and Mekong-Korea cooperation frameworks.
Following their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of three cooperation documents in the areas of prosecution and labour, reflecting their meeting’s concrete outcomes.
During his stay in the Republic of Korea, President Thongloun also received courtesy calls from the President of the Korea-Laos Friendship Association and the Chairman of the Booyoung Group. - Vientiane Times/ANN
