North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, has expressed his desire to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation through a recent exchange of letters with Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.
On Thursday, the Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Friday that Kim had sent a congratulatory message to President Sisoulith, who was recently re-elected as General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee.
In his letter, Kim conveyed his warmest congratulations on Sisoulith’s re-election, stating that it reflects the high trust and expectations of all party members and the Laotian people in Comrade General Secretary.
Kim also referenced President Sisoulith’s visit to Pyongyang last October for the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party’s founding. He emphasized that he’s confident that the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two parties and nations, with its long history and tradition, will be further strengthened and developed across all sectors, in line with the spirit of the agreements reached during that summit.
The Korean Central News Agency also released a letter that President Sisoulith sent to Kim on December 31, responding to Kim’s earlier congratulatory message for the 50th anniversary of Laos’ founding.
In his letter, President Sisoulith described the October summit as a crucial milestone in deepening and broadening the cooperative relationship between the two countries. He affirmed that “the traditional friendship and close cooperation between the nations will continue to strengthen and develop through the joint efforts.
Recently, North Korea has been fostering closer ties with Russia and China while actively maintaining diplomatic exchanges with its traditional socialist allies.
Notably, Laos has maintained friendly relations with North Korea since establishing diplomatic ties in 1974. The relationship between the two countries has grown even closer following President Sisoulith’s visit and summit last October.
As a gesture of goodwill, Kim personally sent a congratulatory flower basket to President Sisoulith on his 80th birthday on November 10 last year.