Sushma Swaraj holds bilateral talks with Laotian counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith; meets Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith

Vientiane: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday met her Laotian counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith and held wide-ranging talks to enhance cooperation in key areas like defence, trade, energy and agriculture.

Swaraj, who is in Laos on a two-day visit, co-chaired the ninth Joint Commission Meeting with Kommasith as the two leaders laid out the roadmap for cooperation and partnership.

The ministers held wide-ranging discussions covering cooperation in agriculture, trade and investment, defence, education, culture, Information Technology, energy and mining, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Swaraj and Kommasith had constructive discussions during the meeting, he said in a tweet.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj & FM Kommasith had constructive discussions during the 9th India-Lao PDR #JCM. EAM offered to share India’s expertise & experience towards supporting developmental needs of Lao PDR, taking the total offer of grant and LoC proposal to $ 250 mn. pic.twitter.com/ZjWNMGVTyt

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 23, 2018

On Thursday, she attended an Indian community event here and interacted with participants. During her two-day visit, Swaraj also called on Laos prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj called on Prime Minister of #LaoPDR Dr Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane. Good exchange of views on imparting momentum to our relationship across several sectors. PM Sisoulith fondly recalled his visit to India for ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in January 2018 pic.twitter.com/xYBcaYZorw — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 23, 2018