(L-R): Jean Asselborn; Prime Minister of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith;
Credit: MAEE
Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, was in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday 13 June 2018 at the invitation of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Saleumxay Kommasith.
After being received by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Minister Asselborn had a working meeting with his counterpart, Saleumxay Kommasith, and also with the Minister of Planning and Investment, Souphan Keomixay, the Minister of Health, Bounkong Sihavong, and the Minister of Education and Sport, Sengdeuane Lachanhtaboun.
As Luxembourg and Laos celebrated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2017, Minister Asselborn's exchanges of views with the Lao authorities provided an opportunity to review the excellent bilateral relations, marked in particular by the opening of a Luxembourg Embassy in Vientiane in January 2016.
Similarly, since Luxembourg is an important partner for development cooperation in Laos, the discussions provided an opportunity to discuss the 2016-2020 indicative cooperation programme, which has a substantial budget of €75 million in vocational training for tourism and hospitality, health and rural development.
Minister Asselborn's exchanges of views with his Laotian counterpart raised the relationship between the European Union and Laos, human rights and the fight against corruption, as well as the latest developments in ASEAN and the place of Laos in the region. The talks also addressed connectivity in Asia, as well as recent regional and international developments, including recent announcements on the Korean peninsula.
During his visit to Vientiane, Minister Asselborn visited the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Laos, supported by the Luxembourg development cooperation and which has a partnership with the University of Luxembourg. In front of a hundred students and Laotian teachers, the head of Luxembourgish diplomacy delivered a speech on human rights and the rule of law.
Minister Asselborn also had the opportunity to visit some projects of Luxembourg cooperation, including the Lanith "Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality", the vocational training school for tourism and hospitality. In the presence of the Luxembourg surgeon Dr. Richard Schneider, Minister Asselborn visited the "Lao-Luxembourg Heart Centre", which for many years has been treating patients with cardiovascular diseases. These projects illustrate the good collaboration and the effective partnership uniting Luxembourg and Laos.
Finally, in the presence of several Luxembourg nationals, representatives of the Laotian government and the diplomatic corps accredited in Laos, Minister Asselborn took the opportunity of his presence in Vientane to give a reception on the occasion of the Luxembourg National Day (actually on 23 June).
