VIENTIANE, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) — The European Union has upgraded its Delegation to Laos become a fully-fledged Diplomatic Mission in recognition of the growing ties between Laos and the EU.
Speaking to media shortly after presenting his credentials to the Lao president on Tuesday, new Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Laos Leo Faber said the EU and the member states had long been engaged in development cooperation with Laos and would continue to do so in order to achieve development that was sustainable, equitable, and respectful of human rights.
“We will maintain a regular and constructive dialogue on political, economic and social issues with the government because we believe that exchanges of views on areas of our mutual interest can create mutual understanding,” said Faber, “I’m honored to be the first ambassador of the European Union to Laos. We hope that we can strengthen our relations.”
The ambassador said the EU lauded Laos’ efforts in successfully hosting the recent ASEAN summits and appreciated the way Laos negotiated with other countries.
The EU recognized that Laos is transforming itself from a small land-locked to a land-linked country and the union hoped to see Laos graduate from the least developed country status by 2020.
The EU Delegation to Laos was opened in Vientiane in 2003
