Mrs. Clinton makes historic visit to Laos
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Laos on July 11, becoming the first US secretary of state to visit the Southeast Asian country in 57 years.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong. (Source: Getty Images)
During the four-hour visit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and held talks with her Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith. A joint statement after the meeting said the two sides focused on discussing expanding bilateral cooperation, the goal of Laos joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin, and the search for the remains of missing American soldiers.
Speaking after visiting a US-funded prosthetics and orthotics center, Clinton said the US wanted to expand and further strengthen relations with Laos. Secretary of State
In 2004, the US officially normalized trade relations with Laos, and in 2012 alone, the US Government provided Laos with nearly 30 million USD in aid./.
According to VNA-M
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