The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press briefing in Hanoi on Monday to announce the results of the 15th annual meeting on Vietnam-Laos border, which had just taken place in the capital city.

The meeting was attended by Vu Dung, Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Vietnam-Laos Border Committee and Phongsavat Boupha, Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Laos-Vietnam Border Committee.

The two sides reviewed co-ordination in implementing the Vietnam-Lao Border Treaty, and the Minutes of the 14^th meeting on Vietnam-Laos Border. They agreed that in 2005, with the great support of the two countries’ parties and governments and joint efforts of relevant ministries and organisations as well as provinces sharing the common borderlines, the two sides have gained significant achievements in controlling and defending the common border, promoting trade and economic development, and resolving problems relating to the border situation between the two countries.

The two sides discussed and devised co-operation measures aimed at successfully implementing the Vietnam-Lao Border Treaty and co-ordination plans so as to build the Vietnam-Laos border into a border of peace, stability, friendship and development. They pledged to solve the border situation in between milestone U6 and the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border junction, and at the Vietnam-Laos-China border junction, and to develop a feasible plan to reinforce the Vietnam-Laos border marker system, which is expected to be approved by the two sides at their extraordinary meeting in Laos in the first quarter of 2006.