Sihasak visited the Lao People's Democratic Republic to pay a courtesy call and hold discussions with the Prime Minister ahead of the 23rd Thailand-Laos Joint Commission (JC) meeting, addressing comprehensive cooperation in trade, drug suppression, scam prevention, and cross-border haze issues.
Today (1 Oct 2026) GMT+7 Mr. Sihasak Puangketkaew Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs paid a courtesy call Mr. Sonexay Siphandone Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and his delegation at the Vientiane National Assembly Hall during an official visit and participation in the 23rd Joint Commission (JC) meeting on Thailand-Laos bilateral cooperation.
The Lao Prime Minister welcomed the visit and expressed condolences over the recent flooding in Thailand, offering support to the Thai government in addressing and recovering from the disaster's impact.
Mr. Sihasak thanked the host for the warm welcome. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Thailand-Laos relations, and the 23rd JC meeting—held after five years—provides an apt occasion to discuss and advance cooperation across all areas.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with strong bilateral ties, high-level visits, and promotion of mutual security and development. They committed to enhance cooperation in combating drugs and online scams, resolving cross-border haze, pursuing a trade target of 11 billion USD (approximately 370.3 billion baht) by 2027, developing border economies, energy security, transport connectivity by road and rail, customs regulations, as well as development and tourism collaboration.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted mutual satisfaction with the state of bilateral relations and smooth cooperation in all fields. Thailand-Laos relations reflect Thailand's policy of engaging neighboring countries based on security, economic progress, mutual trust, and fostering people-to-people ties.
Thailand has sought to support Lao PDR's goal of transforming from a landlocked to a land-linked country, becoming a regional land transport hub by road and rail, particularly connecting Thailand to China and Vietnam. Thailand backs this strategy, evident in the construction of five existing cross-border bridges and plans for a sixth, enhancing connectivity, travel, and trade between the nations.
"Several routes are vital for Laos to distribute goods to neighboring countries such as Vietnam and China, contributing to economic expansion. This year, Laos' economy grew over 4%, partly due to leveraging its strength as a land-linked country," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
On the same day, the Deputy Prime Minister also visited Thanaleng Dry Port and Vientiane Logistics Park, destined to develop into a special economic zone and key distribution center near the First Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge (Nong Khai - Vientiane) to discuss ways to improve transport efficiency between Thailand and Laos. This hub is expected to play a central role in linking Thailand, Laos, China, and regional markets.
The goal to transform Laos from a landlocked to a land-linked country is to establish a logistics hub that goes beyond transit, adding value by exploiting its central regional location and cheap, clean energy resources. Cooperation between Thailand and Laos is expected to benefit both countries by linking trade with other regional and global markets.
"I visited the logistics project, which is more than just a transshipment point. It is being developed into a dry port with added value, designated as a special economic zone capable of producing certain goods before forwarding them to other countries. While Thailand and Laos have physical connectivity, it is crucial to have shared rules and regulations, including customs and immigration," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Currently, the Vientiane Logistics Park handles over 50% of the import-export value between Thailand and Laos amid efforts by both countries to achieve a trade target of 11 billion USD by 2027.