Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs;
Credit: © SIP / Claude Piscitelli
On Tuesday 18 November 2025, Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Xavier Bettel, held a bilateral meeting with Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade reported that the ministers welcomed the excellent state of bilateral relations, particularly in the field of development cooperation. Minister Bettel also referred to projects in the hotel sector, highlighting their potential for the Lao tourism industry.
According to the ministry, the meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss current political issues, notably the political situation in Asia and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In this context, Minister Bettel revisited the information that circulated in July 2025 alleging that Laos had sent specialists to help Russia clear landmines in the Kursk region. He thanked the Lao side for its prompt reaction and for quickly refuting this information.
Moreover, the ministry added that Mr Phomvihane’s visit to Luxembourg also offered an opportunity for discussions with the European Investment Bank and the University of Luxembourg.
