La Lay int’l border gate inaugurated

Vietnamese Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith cut the ribbon to inaugurate the La Lay international border gate, Quang Tri, June 25, 2014 - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

Viet Nam and Laos have so far set up eighth international border gates, seven major border gates and 16 auxiliary ones which serve their respective socio-economic development, security, and national defence.

The new international border gate is expected to lure domestic and foreign investors and support the development of the East-West Economic Corridor and the ASEAN connectivity process towards the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh proposed the two countries develop socio-economic infrastructure at border areas in order to spur cooperation in terms of trade, investment and tourism. 

For his part, Deputy PM Thongloun Sisoulith believed that the fresh international border gate would help raise the bilateral trade turnover to nearly US$ 1 billion; facilitate travel, commercial and tourism linkages between Quang Tri and Salavan provinces. 

Earlier, the two leaders on June 24 in Quang Tri province held talks to exchange views on bilateral and international issues of common concern.

They highly spoke of the two sides' joint effort in undertaking border demarcation and landmark plantation, especially the inauguration of La Lay international border gate.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two Deputy PMs expressed their concerns over the complicated developments, hailing the Joint Declaration of ASEAN FMs on the East Sea issue.

They called for ASEAN to strengthen their coordination and common voice on regional security and development on the basis of international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards completion of the Code of conduct in the East Sea (COC)./.

By Huong Giang