The President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith has arrived in Kazakhstan on his first official visit, which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described as a historic event. The official welcoming ceremony took place at the Palace of Independence in Astana. Next year, Kazakhstan and Laos will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries maintain close cooperation on the international stage and now intend to further expand bilateral ties. This was discussed by the two heads of state during talks in both a narrow and an expanded format. According to President Tokayev, Laos is an important and reliable partner for Kazakhstan in Southeast Asia. Kazakhstan is ready to increase supplies to the Lao market of products from the metallurgical, food, petrochemical, agricultural, and chemical industries, as well as machinery and pharmaceuticals. Transport and logistics cooperation between the two countries was also on the agenda.
«Kazakhstan views Laos as an important partner in Southeast Asia. We are interested in strengthening cooperation in digitalization, transport and logistics, mining, agriculture, and other areas. We support the continued development of trade and economic ties between Kazakhstan and Laos, considering it an important foundation for further enhancing our bilateral relations,» Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
President Tokayev also encouraged companies from Laos to actively use the advantages offered by the Astana International Financial Centre, which brings together more than 6,000 companies from over 90 countries. The AIFC platform helped to attract $27 billion in investment to Kazakhstan. The two sides also discussed prospects for cooperation in tourism and the humanitarian sphere, including strengthening ties between universities of the two countries, expanding academic exchanges, and jointly training specialists. President Thongloun Sisoulith emphasized that his visit marks an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations. He also highlighted Kazakhstan’s support in training specialists for Laos.
«Hundreds of Lao citizens have received education and graduated from educational institutions in Kazakhstan. Today, many of them work in public service, are entrepreneurs, and hold senior positions at the central and local levels. They all remember Kazakhstan warmly for the support and assistance they received during their years of study,» Thongloun Sisoulith said.
Following the talks, the Heads of State adopted a
Joint Statement reaffirming the countries’ commitment to further expanding
bilateral cooperation. The two sides also signed four memorandums of
understanding between their foreign ministries and prosecution authorities, as
well as in the fields of artificial intelligence and the establishment of
sister-city relations between the capitals of the two countries – Astana and
Vientiane.
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