The traditional annual meeting of the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association was held in Vientiane
On January 25, 2025, the traditional annual meeting of the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association on the results of 2024 was held in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. More than 120 members of the Association participated in the event.
The Chairman of the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association and former Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines of Laos, Thongphat Inthavong, opened the event with an introductory speech. He recalled that, 40 years ago during the Soviet Union era, up to 2,000 Lao students studied in various educational institutions in Azerbaijan. The Chairman noted that during their time in Baku, the Azerbaijani people treated them with love and sincere care, as if they were members of their own families. He emphasized that all former Lao students consider Azerbaijan their second homeland. After completing their education, they returned to Laos and became highly qualified and knowledgeable human resources contributing to the development of the country. Many of the students held high positions in state organizations, and many of them became prominent scientists and highly successful businessmen in the country and abroad.
T.Inthavong stressed that the main purpose of the event is to strengthen relations and cooperation between the governments and peoples of Laos and Azerbaijan. Additionally, it aims to review the Association’s activities in 2024, set goals for the coming year, foster solidarity among former students, and facilitate the sharing of experiences in their professional and personal lives.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Shovgi Mehdizada noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Laos are based on historical roots, said that the two countries have been closely cooperating in various fields since the era of the former Soviet Union, and highly appreciated the current state of bilateral and multilateral relations. He emphasized that in 1986, National Leader Heydar Aliyev visited this country as the head of the Soviet delegation to participate in the 3rd National Congress of the People's Revolutionary Party, and underlined the importance of expanding successful cooperation in the field of education that began back then, and continuing the exchange of students and researchers.
The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Lao government for the establishment of the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association, which consists of Lao graduates who studied in Azerbaijan, and confidently told that the Association has contributed to the development of relations between the two countries.
Stating that the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Lao People's Democratic Republic will be celebrated in May this year, the Ambassador highlighted that friendly relations and fruitful cooperation between the countries have developed and expanded on a bilateral and multilateral basis over the years. He expressed his confidence that, thanks to great efforts, the existing relations in the spirit of cooperation between Laos and Azerbaijan will continue to strengthen and expand for the sake of the true interests of the country and peoples, for the development of peace, stability and cooperation in the region, as well as throughout the world.
The event featured performances by a national dance ensemble and concluded with a commemorative group photo of the Association members. The event was covered in the local media.
It should be noted that the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association, established in 2019 by the decision of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, is currently actively holding numerous meetings, organizing festive events, and participating in sports competitions with a team called “Bakılılar” (Бакинцы). At the initiative of the embassy and with the organization of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan, a delegation led by the Chairman of the Laos-Azerbaijan Friendship Association visited Azerbaijan from May 5 to 10, 2024. During the visit, the delegation held meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, the “New Azerbaijan Party” (YAP), SOCAR, and several higher education institutions. They also conducted a familiarization visit to the city of Shusha.
