President of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Đỗ Văn Chiến and Lao Party General Secretary and State President Thongloun Sisoulith met on Tuesday as part of the latter's official trip to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI — Lao Party General Secretary and State President Thongloun Sisoulith on Tuesday hosted a reception for President of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Đỗ Văn Chiến and leaders of the Việt Nam-Laos Friendship Association, and the Liaison Committee for former Vietnamese Volunteer Soldiers and Military Experts in Laos.

Chiến thanked Thongloun as well as other Lao Party and State leaders for their attention to and creating favourable conditions for the Front’s operations and its member organisations, and friendship associations of the two countries.

While congratulating Laos on the success of the 11th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Chiến said the visit, the first overseas trip of the top Lao leader, showed the close relationship between the two nations.

Member organisations of the VFF had coordinated with their Lao counterparts in organising practical activities to strengthen the solidarity between the two countries’ people, thus further nurturing the Việt Nam-Laos special relations, Chiến said, adding that they had also served as a bridge to boost bilateral cooperation across fields.

He hoped that the Lao leader would facilitate coordination in the front work between the two countries in the future.

Regarding Việt Nam's efforts in the fight against COVID-19, the VFF President said despite facing many difficulties due to impacts of the pandemic, a number of Lao organisations and businesses had supported Việt Nam.

For his part, the Lao leader affirmed the importance of the Việt Nam-Laos special solidarity, stressing that the bilateral relations had been developing fruitfully across fields, bringing practical benefits to the people of both nations, including cooperation between the VFF and the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC).

He highly valued recent achievements made by the VFF, stressing that it played an important role in mobilising, gathering and promoting the great national unity bloc.

Acknowledging great contributions and sacrifices of Vietnamese experts and volunteers in Laos during wartime, the Lao leader wished that young generations of the two countries would continue to be educated and provided with information on the Laos-Việt Nam combat alliance, thus improving their sense of responsibility in nurturing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

He hoped that, with its responsibility, the VFF and its member organisations, and friendship associations would actively coordinate and share experiences with the LFNC, and promote cooperation between local front agencies of Laos and Việt Nam. — VNS