June 24 is the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The friendship between the DPRK and Laos began 57 years ago when Premier Kim Il Sung met Kaysone Phomvihane, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, in Pyongyang for the first time.

On October 28 1965, Kim Il Sung warmly welcomed Kaysone Phomvihane on his first visit to the DPRK, and his party at the airport and gave him valuable advice which would serve as guidelines in the anti-US national-salvation struggle of the Laotian people.

In the course of it, he established personal relations with the LPRP General Secretary and created a new history and tradition of the DPRK-Laos friendship developing under the banner of anti-imperialist independence and socialism.

Afterwards, he met him several times and offered active material and moral support to the Laotian people in their struggle for national liberation and the building of a new society, adding lustre to the relations between the two countries as a noble history of comradely friendship.

President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il accorded warm hospitality to Kaysone Phomvihane, president of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, on his fourth visit to the DPRK in April 1992.

His official goodwill visit to the DPRK leading a large party and state delegation at the time when the 80th birthday of President Kim Il Sung was being celebrated splendidly was an expression of his boundless respect for the President and great encouragement to the Workers’ Party of Korea and people of the DPRK in their struggle to maintain and vigorously advance people-centred Korean-style socialism.

During his stay in Pyongyang, Kaysone Phomvihane decorated the President and the Chairman with the top orders of Laos, presented them with the gifts he had prepared with sincerity and took part in the celebrations of the 80th birthday of the President and the 60th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army

True to the noble intention of the President, Chairman Kim Jong Il put his heart and soul into further deepening the bond of friendship between the two countries.

He, with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un , met Choummaly Saygnasone, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and president of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, on a visit to the DPRK in September 2011, the last year of his life, and greatly contributed to bolstering up the bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation.

That’s why when Chairman Kim Jong Il passed away too unexpectedly and regrettably, officials of the Laotian party, state and national assembly including the president of the Laotian National Assembly visited the DPRK embassy to Laos and mourned the death of the Chairman who had devoted his all to the development of bilateral relationship.

Friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Laos that continue to be strengthened and developed in the new century have entered a new stage of its development under the close concern of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un directs all his energies to improving the bilateral ties, valuable wealth bequeathed by the President and the Chairman, onto a higher stage.

The bilateral friendship grows stronger steadily with the passage of time despite the storm and stress in international situations, supported by the unshakable will of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries to firmly defend and carry on the exploits of the preceding leaders.

The peoples of the two countries work hard to widely expand bilateral relations while overcoming obstacles and difficulties and strengthening mutual support and cooperation in their common interests.

In recent years visits, contacts and exchanges have been conducted actively between the party and state delegations of the two countries. Friendship parliamentary groups have also been organized in the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK and the National Assembly of Laos to promote exchange of opinions and cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

It is the firm will of the WPK and the Korean people to continue to consolidate and develop the traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between the two parties and peoples of the two countries based on comradely obligation as required by the new century.

Our people are confident that the fraternal Laotian party and people will overcome all the challenges and difficulties and certainly achieve their fighting goals set forth by the 11th LPRP Congress to victoriously advance socialist construction.

Close friendship between the DPRK and Laos will steadily grow stronger in future, too, in the struggle of the peoples of the two countries for socialist cause.

Kim Sung Chan, chairman of the DPRK-Laos Friendship Parliamentary Group of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK