Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith is on an official and goodwill visit to Myanmar and will meet the leadership, aimed at enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation.

Sisoulith began the visit on Thursday after he, representing the Lao side, attended the 9th meeting of Myanmar-Lao Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in Taunggyi, the capital of Myanmar's Shan state, on Wednesday.

At the meeting, in which Myanmar was represented by Foreign Minister U Nyan Win, the two sides discussed matters relating to further strengthening cooperation between the two countries as well as enhancing mutual cooperation in regional and international forums, official report said, adding that an agreed minutes was signed at the joint commission meeting, which was preceded by a senior officials'.

Sisoulith arrived in Yangon on Tuesday for the meeting and then the visit to Nay Pyi Taw.

The Myanmar-Lao joint commission meeting was a follow-up of the 5th bilateral consultation meeting at deputy minister level between foreign ministries of the two countries held in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan early this month.

There were close exchange between Myanmar and Laos at top level over the past thee years. In November 2006 and March 2007, Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh and Lao President Choummaly Sayasone successively visited Nay Pyi Taw, while Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein toured Vientiane in November 2007.

During Thein Sein's 2007 trip, matters of building the Mekong Bridge, use of more checkpoints in Wanpon and Mong Maw border regions, visa exemption for those holding ordinary passports, cooperation among CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) and the Greater Mekong Subregion as well as ASEAN charter were touched upon.

In January 2007, Myanmar and Laos upgraded the two countries' respective border checkpoints to meet international standards to boost arrivals of world tourists and those from the third countries visiting the two border areas.

These checkpoints are Wan Pong in Tachilek of Eastern Shan state on the Myanmar side and Ban Muang Mom on the Lao side. The Mekong River flows between the two towns as a border line.

In February this year, regional border committee of the two countries at deputy foreign minister level met for the first time in Myanmar's border town of Tachilek in eastern Shan state to step up bilateral cooperation in dealing with border affairs.

That meeting covered the issue of security along the border of the two countries, promotion of border trade and exchange of visits of peoples of the two countries.

In an unannounced visit to Laos in late February this year, General Thura Shwe Mann, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, met with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Lieutenant-General Duangchay Phichit.

The two sides discussed future cooperation efforts, particularly regular exchange of information regarding cross- border issues. They also touched on measures to prevent the illegal passage of people, goods and drugs across the two countries' border.

In May this year, Myanmar and Laos reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Nay Pyi Taw on establishing sister cities between Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan and Laos' Luang Prabang.

Myanmar and Laos have also been placing emphasis on peace and security and development in the two countries' border areas, cooperating in drug control and agreeing to prevent trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, and control banned chemicals. 
Moreover, Myanmar and Laos are also cooperating in agricultural, forestry and marine sectors.