Foreign Minister János Martonyi had a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad in Vientiane, Laos, on November 4. Both of them spoke at the ceremonial event held on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Minister Martonyi and Somsavat Lengsavad shared the view that friendly relations had characterized the cooperation of the two countries over the past half a century. They agreed that there was a lot of potential still to be exploited in bilateral relations and that agriculture, water management and education could become the pillars of an intensified cooperation. Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad claimed that the relations with Hungary could serve as a model for developing cooperation with other East and Central European countries. The Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed the appreciation of the Hungarian government for the outstanding role Laos had played as the host of the ASEM summit in promoting relations between Asia and Europe. The Hungarian side assisted the efforts of the summit organizers with sharing the experience of the ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Gödöllő last year.

Some of those who studied in Hungary also attended the ceremonial event held on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. These participants included, among others, the current deputy agricultural minister and the deputy minister of interior of Laos. The representatives of Hungarian companies operating in Laos attended the event as well, and they spoke about their mutually beneficial future plans. Foreign Minister János Martonyi expressed his hope that bilateral economic relations could be further developed through an agreement on restricted credit aid.

(Prime Minister’s Office)