Opening Remarks – Bilateral Meeting with Laos
HIS EXCELLENCY PHANKHAM VIPHAVANH, PRIME MINISTER OF THE LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC: I’m very pleased and delighted to have the opportunity to meet Your Excellency Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia today. Certainly, this is the very first time since Australia has formed a new Government. And I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to Your Excellency on assuming the Office of Prime Minister of Australia. And I highly value the friendly relations and good cooperation between the two countries, Lao PDR and Australia, over the last 70 years. And, of course, the two sides have also enjoyed regular exchange visits, recently with the official visit of Foreign Minister of Lao PDR to Australia. And, of course, the Lao PDR looks forward to receiving a high-ranking visit from the Australian side. Of course, it would be delightful to receive such official visit on the occasion of celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries for the 70th anniversary. And, most importantly, the Lao PDR welcomes the elevation of our bilateral cooperation to a strategic comprehensive partnership.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Can I very much thank you for this important meeting on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of relations between our two countries. I’m very pleased that today we are announcing the elevation of our relationship to a comprehensive partnership, a sign of our commitment to do more together. I thank you for your personal congratulations and say that part of our election platform was to increase and strengthen the relationship with Southeast Asia, including having a Southeast Asia Economic Strategy for 2040. Can I thank Laos for your assistance as Australia’s ASEAN Country Coordinator. The Summit was very important, that we held today, directly identifying projects on digital economic integration, on smart cities and action on climate change. And I would be very pleased to support Laos’ ASEAN Chair year in 2024, which is also, of course, the 50th anniversary of our direct engagement with ASEAN. I think, through more deeper exchanges between our two countries, we welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister in Australia recently. I look forward to visits from Australia to Laos. I visited myself, way back in 1987, I was in Vientiane. And my foreign affairs adviser here served in our embassy in Vientiane. We are very concerned about the ongoing Myanmar crisis in the region, because we share a commitment to a stable, peaceful, resilient and prosperous region. And I look forward to working with you to achieve those objectives. Thank you.