Working visit of H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Franz Fayot to Laos - first and second day

The programme of the first two days of the visit included bilateral meetings, the four development cooperation protocols between Luxembourg and Laos, as well as visits to a number of projects of the Luxembourg Cooperation in Laos.

Monday 5 December 2022

On the first day of the trip, which takes place in the context of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic and development cooperation relations between Luxembourg and Laos, H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Franz Fayot were welcomed for a meeting by the President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith. The discussions focused on bilateral relations and the regional situation.

At the end of the meeting, and in the presence of H.R.H. the Grand Duke and the President of Laos, Franz Fayot signed two bilateral protocols with Khamjane Vongphosy, Minister of Planning and Investment of Laos, as well as two trilateral protocols with Khamjane Vongphosy and Jean-François Cuénod, regional representative in Laos of the Swiss Development Cooperation. These protocols form the basis for the interventions of the 5th Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP), which will support the following four areas over the next five years (2023-2027): health and nutrition, integrated local development, vocational and technical training, and promotion of the rule of law, access to justice and good governance. The European Union and Switzerland will participate in an additional way in the financing of the ICP programmes.

Minister Fayot also had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Laos, Phankham Viphavanh, during which they expressed their appreciation for the friendly ties between Luxembourg and Laos over the past 25 years, as well as for the achievements of development cooperation projects during that time.

In the evening, H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Minister Fayot attended a reception on invitation of the Laotian President, Thongloun Sisoulith.

Tuesday 6 December 2022

On the second day, H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Franz Fayot visited several projects supported by the Luxembourg Cooperation in the capital Vientiane.

They first visited the Pasteur Institute of Laos, where they were welcomed by the Minister of Health of Laos, Bounfeng Phoummalaysith. Supported by the Grand Duchy, the Institut Pasteur du Laos aims to promote research and diagnosis on emerging infectious and vector-borne diseases, as well as to strengthen the training, education and capacity of young researchers. To this end, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), under a mandate from the Luxembourg government, created the Lao-Luxembourg Laboratory within the Pasteur Institute of Laos in 2012, and has since been able to successfully train a number of Laotian scientists.

H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Minister Fayot then visited the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the National University of Laos, with which the University of Luxembourg has been cooperating since 2013 to strengthen the rule of law through legal education and training. In the presence of the Minister of Education and Sports of Laos, Phout Simmalavong, H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Franz Fayot had the opportunity to exchange with the students benefiting from this academic cooperation.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Lao Luxembourg Heart Center (Institut lao-luxembourgeois du cœur - ILLC) took place at the Mahosot University Hospital. Built in 2004 by the Luxembourg non-governmental development organisation (NGDO) "Aide au développement de la santé" with the support of the Luxembourg Cooperation, the ILLC has become a reference clinic for Laos, promoting specialised medicine in the treatment of heart diseases, especially for the most vulnerable populations.

In the evening, H.R.H. the Grand Duke and Franz Fayot, in the presence of the President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, attended a reception offered by Luxembourg for the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Laos.

Press release from the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs