Hungarian president visits Laos to strengthen friendship, cooperation

President of the Republic of Hungary, Mr János Áder, and his delegation arrived in Vientiane on Thursday on a state visit to Laos from October 24-26 at the invitation of President Bounnhang Vorachit.
The visit aims to strengthen the friendly ties and good cooperation between Laos and Hungary.
An official greeting ceremony to welcome President Ader took place at the Presidential Office on Friday, led by President Bounnhang Vorachit and high-ranking Lao officials.

A bilateral meeting of delegations led by the two presidents took place on the same day.
President Bounnhang welcomed and expressed great appreciation of the state visit by President Ader and his delegation, saying it was an important contribution to strengthening the friendship and good cooperation between the two countries for greater productivity.
Both sides said they highly valued the friendly and good cooperation between their countries and agreed that their relationship had strengthened in multiple fields since they established diplomatic relations in September 1962.
“This strengthened friendship and cooperation is evident in the strong political relations between the two countries as demonstrated by reciprocal visits by delegations at multiple levels, from government leaders to technical staff, to share opinions and experiences, and to enhance the solidarity between the two countries,” a press release from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
“The two sides have in-depth mutual understanding and respect, and have supported each other in the regional and international arenas,” the press release added.
The Lao government highly values the Hungarian government’s continuing technical assistance in agriculture, education, and tied aid credit. In the field of education, Hungary continues to offer more scholarships to Laos for bachelor, master’s, and doctorate degrees, with 185 Lao nationals currently studying in Hungary.
At the meeting in Vientiane on Friday, the two delegations discussed the direction of their strengthening relations and cooperation. These extend into politics, diplomacy, agriculture, education, trade and investment, finance, science and technology, natural resources and the environment, sustainable water management, and other sectors. The delegations also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.
President Bounnhang thanked the government and people of Hungary for their assistance and support to Laos. In particular, the Hungarian government provided and installed water filters for use by flood-hit people in Attapeu province last year. The president also noted Hungary’s expression of sympathy over the recent flooding that occurred in the southern provinces.
President Bounnhang thanked the Hungarian government for their humanitarian offers and generosity in continuing to provide relief aid to these provinces. On the same day, President János Áder and his delegation met with Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.
The two sides said they highly valued their bilateral cooperation over the past more than 50 years in the fields of politics, diplomacy, visits by high-ranking leaders, cooperation in agriculture and education, and three-phase tied aid credit valued at US$198.6 million for agriculture, a centralised wastewater treatment project in Vientiane, and a modern population management project.
The Lao side asked Hungary to approve tied aid credit for the fourth phase of construction of the Xayaboury provincial hospital and a project on national statistics, and to support cooperation in the promotion of SMEs and MSMEs in Laos following Hungary’s success in this field.
President Ader and his delegation also met with the President of the National Assembly, Mrs Pany Yathotou, to discuss the strengthening of friendship and cooperation between the Hungarian and Lao National Assemblies.
According to the press release, President Áder’s visit is the first and historic visit to Laos by a high-level Hungarian leader. The visit, which took place in a convivial atmosphere filled with friendship and goodwill, was a milestone in strengthening the friendly ties and tradition of good cooperation between Laos and Hungary.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update October 28, 2019)