Talks with Prime Minister of Laos Sonexay Siphandone

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister,

I am delighted to see you in Kazan, where the Russia - ASEAN Summit has just concluded. We attached special importance to its success in the year of the 35^th anniversary of the establishment of Russia-ASEAN relations.

We highly appreciate Vientiane's unwavering assistance to the development of Russia-ASEAN interaction. I recall our meeting during the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok in September 2025. I, and all our Russian colleagues, know you as a good friend of our country, with which you have maintained ties since the Soviet era.

Just recently, on May 9, President Sisoulith visited our country for the Victory Day celebrations. We are grateful to him for that gesture of solidarity, as well as for dispatching a unit of the Lao People's Army to the parade marking the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory last year. I have received his message of greetings on Russia Day. Please convey our sincere gratitude for his message along with my best wishes.

We highly value our relations with Laos, which have always been based on friendship, mutual respect and a balance of each other's interests. Last year, we marked 65 years of our diplomatic relations, and in October this year we will mark 15 years of the Declaration on the Strategic Partnership in the Asia-Pacific Region between our countries.

I know that before the summit you held talks in Moscow where you substantively discussed measures to deepen cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture, exploration and mining, the digital economy, banking, transport, tourism and education.

The signing of an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy is a significant achievement. It provides the necessary legal basis for building a small nuclear power plant to a Russian design in Laos.

To be continued.