The newly opened border gate, which links Viet Nam’s Quang Tri province with Laos’s Salavan province, is the eighth along the 2,000 km shared border, contributing to boosting socio-economic development and maintaining national security and defence while responding to demand of exchanges, commercial co-operation, import and export activities between the two countries’ provinces along the shared border. It also connects the East-West Economic Corridor and neighbouring countries, Cambodia and Thailand.

The border gate is also expected to help attract local and international investors to the region and boost the development of the East-West Economic Corridor and the connectivity within the ASEAN bloc in order to form an ASEAN community by 2015.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy PM Minh said that the two countries should pay further attention to developing and investing in border areas’ socioeconomic infrastructure to stimulate economic, trade, investment and tourism co-operation between the two countries and within ASEAN.

Lao Deputy PM Sisoulith expressed his belief that the newly opened border gate would contribute to increasing bilateral trade turnover, facilitating travel and encouraging trade and tourism between Quang Tri and Salavan provinces.

Earlier on June 24, the two officials held a talk about bilateral relations and several regional and international issues of mutual concern. They spoke highly of the significance of the demarcation, reparation and upgrading of shared border gates for their mutual interest.

Regarding the current situation in the East Sea, the two Deputy PMs expressed their concern about the escalating developments and valued the statement made by the foreign ministers of ASEAN countries on the situation in the East Sea in May. They called on the bloc’s unity and common voice in regional security and development in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, while striving for a conclusion of a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea as soon as possible.

Deputy PM Minh also visited officers, soldiers and people in Con Co islands and offered incense to fallen soldiers at the Con Co Fallen Hero Monument, Truong Son Cemetery and the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel.