The Azerbaijani Embassy accredited to Laos organized an official reception in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The event was attended by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Minister of Technology and Communications Vongdara Boviengkham, Minister of Public Works and Transport Leklay Sivilay, Governor of the Central Bank of Laos Bounkham Vorachit, top-ranking officials of Lao state institutions, the leadership and members of the Azerbaijan-Laos Friendship Association, comprising Laotians educated in Baku, ambassadors, businessmen, public representatives, and Azerbaijani compatriots in Laos.

Following the performance of national anthems of Azerbaijan and Laos, Elnur Mammadov noted that despite the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the friendship between two peoples has a much longer history.

He emphasized that over the past 30 years, Azerbaijan and Laos have continuously expanded cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats. The two countries support each other within various international organizations, including the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Recalling the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Laos’s President Thongloun Sisoulith within the BRICS summit held in Russia last year, Elnur Mammadov said that the heads of state discussed the development of relations between the two countries across various fields.

Emphasizing that the roots of friendship between the two countries go back to the last century, Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane noted that Laotians, who studied in Azerbaijan during the Soviet era returned to their countries as specialists and contributed to the development of Laos across various sectors. Among them were those who took the key positions.

The minister said that during high-level official visits, discussions were held between the two countries on expanding bilateral relations, adding that the first political consultations held in Laos would pave the way for the development of cooperation across various fields.

The event concluded with the screening of a video about Azerbaijan.

Shahin Jafarov

Special correspondent