Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR, and his delegation paid an official visit to the Philippines during 13-14 July 2017 at the invitation of Mr. Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano, Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines. It was the first visit of Mr. Saleumxay as Minister of Foreign Affairs. This visit aimed to enhance bilateral cooperation and deeper friendship between the two countries.

     During the visit, Minister Saleumxay Kommasith had bilateral talked with his counterpart Mr. Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano. Two Ministers also were co-chair of the Inaugural Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) between Laos and the Philippines, took place in Manila, on 13 July 2017. The meeting proceeded under warmly and friendly atmosphere based on mutual friendship and understanding. The two sides highly valued the JCBC inaugural meeting, which would be a new step to forward and realize the bilateral cooperation in various sectors. The two sides also agreed to continue the cooperation in politics, national defense and security, economics, public works and transportation, education, cultural-social sector, tourism, development cooperation, and the cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Laos and the Philippines.

     In additions, both sides highly valued the past visit of a delegation from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines to seek ways for investment cooperation in Laos. Furthermore, the two sides exchanged points of view on regional and global issues.

     At the JCBC meeting, Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith conveyed his congratulation to Mr. Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano on the occasion of his appointment as Foreign Affairs Secretary in May 2017, and expressed his appreciation to Filipino side for warm welcome and kind hospitality to his visit. He thanked the government of the Philippines for supporting to Laos’ chairmanship of ASEAN in hosting the 28^th and 29^th ASEAN Summits and other related meetings in Vientiane last year. He also appreciated the success of the Philippines in hosting the 30^th ASEAN Summit in May this year, and expressed his confidence that the Philippines as the ASEAN chairmanship this year would continue fully accomplish hosting the 31^st ASEAN Summit in coming November.

     At the same time, Mr. Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano expressed his appreciation to the government of Laos for warm welcome accorded to high-ranking leaders of the Philippines during their visits to Laos last year, and its support to the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship in 2017, including Philippines’ candidature in various UN and other multilateral/regional fora.

     In the end of the talk, Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith invited Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary to visit Laos at the appropriate time.

    After a bilateral talks, Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith and his counterpart witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Cooperation in Higher Education between the Lao PDR and the Philippines, which were signed by Mr. Phoxay Khaikhamphithoun, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Laos to the Philippines, and Mrs. Patricia B. Licuanan, president of higher education committee of the Philippines.

    while visit to the Philippines, Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith and his delegation also met the Philippine-Lao Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and delivered his remarks at a seminar on “the Lao PDR and Integration in the region”, at the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines.