(KPL) Singapore Embassy held a reception party to celebrate the 58th anniversary of Singapore’s National Day (on 9 August) in Vientiane on October 6 in the presence of Lao high-ranking officials and diplomatic corps.
(KPL) Singapore Embassy held a reception party to celebrate the 58th anniversary of Singapore’s National Day (on 9 August) in Vientiane on October 6 in the presence of Lao high-ranking officials and diplomatic corps.
This will be Lao PDR’s third time hosting the ASEAN Summit. As my colleagues from the other ASEAN Member States would attest, the chairmanship is a major undertaking for any host. Ambassador of Singapore to Laos Mr Sudesh Maniar said at the reception.
We are fully confident that Lao PDR will host a successful ASEAN 2024 and Singapore is firmly committed to working with Lao PDR to that end. In this regard, we hope that the Singapore-Laos Enhanced Cooperation Package aimed at supporting LaoPDR’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2024, will be of value, Ambassador Maniar confirmed.
Our cooperation in capacity building, under the Singapore Cooperation Programme or SCP, started in 1997 when Lao PDR became a member of ASEAN. Since 2019, many of the SCP programmes have been held at the Lao-Singapore Cooperation Centre, or the LSCC, in Vientiane,he went on.
To date, there are 16,000 Lao alumni of the SCP. In addition, Singapore has been offering ASEAN scholarships to Lao students since 2000.
In 2024 will mark the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Lao PDR. While the relations between Singapore and Lao PDR have always been warm, they have been on an upward trajectory in recent years. For example, there has been a healthy level of bilateral exchanges. Then-Prime Minister of Lao PDR PhankamVipavanh made an official visit to Singapore in September 2022. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia in May 2023, Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon visited Vientiane last month, while Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu visited in August for the ASEAN Environmental Ministers meeting. Most recently, President of the Lao Women’s Union Dr Inlavanh Keobounphanh visited Singapore in September at the invitation of Minister of Social and Family Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.
At the same time, Singapore and Lao PDR have been developing a substantive bilateral account based on the many complementarities between our countries. For example, since the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project, or the LTMS-PIP, commenced last June, Singapore has been importing up to 100 megawatts of renewable energy from Lao PDR. This powers about 140,000 households in Singapore. In August, the LTMS Ministers agreed to explore further capacity and development. We look forward to deepening cooperation in this area with Lao PDR, Ambassador Maniar added.
People-to-people ties remain strong. Since the lifting of travel restrictions in 2022, eight student groups and two medical missions from Singapore have visited this country. People-to-people exchanges have been facilitated by the restoration of connectivity between Singapore and Vientiane,including through the thrice-weekly direct flights by Scoot Airlines.
Indeed, in recognition of our growing ties, both countries will hold the inaugural Singapore-Lao PDR bilateral consultations next week in Vientiane, which Deputy Minister Thongphane will be co-chairing with my Permanent Secretary Albert Chua.
Source: Lao News Agency