Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 26 met with General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, who is in Hanoi to attend the State funeral of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Vietnam News Agency has reported.

PM Chinh expressed gratitude to the Party, State, and people of Laos in general and General Secretary Sisoulith and his spouse in particular for their sharing with the Party, State and people of Vietnam over the passing of General Secretary Trong.

Especially, a two-day national mourning in Laos for the Vietnamese leader reflects the special relations between the two countries, he said.

The Lao leader expressed his deepest condolences to the Party, State and people of Vietnam as well as to the family of the late Party leaders.

He noted that the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss to not only the Party, State and people of Vietnam but also to the Lao counterparts. The Lao Party, State and people have lost a very close comrade and a great friend, he stressed.

Also at the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue to closely coordinate to effectively realize the high-level agreements of the two countries, promote the exchange of delegations at all levels, boost effective economic, trade and investment cooperation, and create more favorable conditions for businesses of Vietnam and Laos to invest and do business in each country.

They agreed to focus on removing obstacles to important projects and foster cooperation in education, culture, tourism, banking, and labor.

Earlier, on July 25, President To Lam also hosted a reception for the Lao leader.