Lao PDR Ambassador Highlights Relations with Philippines

Lao PDR Ambassador Sonexay Vannaxay during his lecture

MANILA 29 July 2024 – The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) held this month’s Ambassadors’ Lecture Series (ALS) with the topic “Philippines - Lao PDR Bilateral Relations and Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2024” on 19 July 2024 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library.  Lao PDR Ambassador Sonexay Vannaxay was the featured speaker.

The Ambassador highlighted the high level of political engagement and economic ties between the Philippines and Lao PDR, citing recent exchanges of visits undertaken by senior government officials from the two countries to each other’s territory. He noted the robust people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, with more than 2,000 Filipinos working in Laos as teachers, engineers, and other important professions.  He recalled the participation of Lao diplomats in training programs of the FSI as an important foundation for strengthened diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Vannaxay also touched on the Lao PDR government’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year, enumerating their nine priority areas to achieve the two main objectives of enhancing connectivity and enhancing resilience, namely: integrating and connecting economies; forging an inclusive and sustainable future; transforming for a digital future; promoting the role of ASEAN culture and the arts for inclusion and sustainability; developing strategic plans to implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045; promoting ASEAN centrality; promoting environmental cooperation; focusing on women and children; and advocating for improvement in public health.

The lecture concluded with the Ambassador expressing Lao PDR’s commitment to promote ASEAN centrality and to forge stronger cooperation among its members and its external partners as concrete outcome of its ASEAN Chairmanship. On the bilateral level, he expressed his hope for greater people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and Lao PDR, particularly as the two nations are geared to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2025.

The ALS is a platform provided by FSI to the heads of diplomatic missions in the Philippines where they can share their knowledge, expertise, and advocacies. END 

Personnel of the Foreign Service Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs, and members of the diplomatic corps attended the event.

Source: https://fsi.gov.ph/2024/07/19/lao-pdr-ambassador-highlights-relations-with-philippines/