Roundup: Myanmar president's Laos visit to further promote bilateral ties

Myanmar new President U Htin Kyaw left Nay Pyi Taw earlier on Friday to pay a one-day goodwill visit to Laos and it is his first foreign trip after the new government took office on April 1.

At the invitation of his Lao counterpart Bounnhang Vorachitch, U Htin Kyaw 's trip, accompanied by State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, came more than two years after former Lao President Choummaly Sayasone came to Myanmar for a state visit in December 2013.

Myanmar-Laos relations and cooperation in recent years have been highlighted by the opening of the first-ever friendship bridge across the Mekong River in May last year.

The bridge, which links Myanmar's Tachileik in eastern Shan state and Laos' Luang Namtha Province, was inaugurated by the presidents of both countries then.

The opening of the friendship bridge coincided with the 60th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The construction of the 691.6-meter-long Myanmar-Laos Friendship Bridge worth of 26 million U.S.dollars was first raised during an earlier visit to Myanmar by Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong in July 2011 and the project started in February 2013.

The Mekong subregion countries greatly benefit from the bridge which is located on the North Economic Corridor linking the Port of Haiphong in Vietnam and the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port in Myanmar through Laos.

Laos has been supporting Myanmar's democratization and national reconciliation efforts.

Leaders of the two countries pledged to promote bilateral relations and cooperation in rural development, poverty alleviation, tourism, education, forest, agriculture and livestock breeding sectors.

The two countries have laid down plans for prevention and control of drug abuse between the two countries.

Both sides have reaffirmed their policies to respect and safeguard each other's sovereignty and security by not allowing any armed insurgent groups from either side to keep their bases in the territory of respective countries.

Moreover, the two countries are also expanding cooperation in legislative affairs especially in recent years when Myanmar is undergoing reform process which also covers the legislative sector.

In March 2015, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith visited Myanmar with the two countries vowing to enhance political and security cooperation.

According to official statistics, the volume of trade between Myanmar and Laos is still low compared with other neighboring countries.

Sharing border of over 230 km, the two countries established diplomatic relations in July 1955.

Both Myanmar and Laos joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997. This year Laos chairs the regional grouping and will host the region's foreign ministers meeting in July and the regional summit in September. Enditem