Wednesday October 6, 2010 Issue 236
Times Reporters
Lao-German cooperati
on has seen impressive results in all fields, especially over the past 20 years since Germany was reunited on October 3, 1990, the German ambassador to Laos said yesterday. Dr. Peter Wienand was speaking at a conference in Vientiane to mark 20 years of German unity and bilateral cooperation.
“Germany is a trusted partner of the Lao PDR and as a developing partner can look back on over 50 years of proud achievements,” he told participants.Representatives from the Lao government and international organisations attended the one-day conference entitled ‘Results Matter – Getting to the Heart of Development Effectiveness in the Lao PDR’.
Prior to 1990, both German states (East and West) were active in Laos, during which period some very impressive results were achieved, such as more than 3,000 Lao nationals receiving education and training in Germany.“Many former students now hold important positions in the Lao PDR and contribute to the development of their country and to Lao-German friendship,” Dr. Wienand said.“Investing in the youth development of a country is in the long run the most effective and cost-efficient form of cooperation.” Over the past two decades since German reunification, Laos and Germany have developed ever closer relations, with improved cooperation on all matters of mutual interest.
“Germany is today the most important trading partner of Laos in the European Union. The number of German tourists who enjoy the natural beauty, cultural heritage and renowned friendliness of the Lao people is growing all the time,” the ambassador said.With programmes and projects in the fields of human resources, rural development, and environmental and cultural preservation, Germany is active in a wide variety of areas.
The country is also an important partner in the fight against drugs and human trafficking, and clearance of unexploded ordnance.“In recent years, bilateral cooperation was and is a success story and this was honoured by a doubling of our two-yearly commitments since 2008/2009, from 17 million euros to 34 million euros,” the ambassador said.Dr Wienand recalled the reunification between East and West Germany on October 3, 1990, which took place 11 months after the fall of the famous Berlin Wall. Last year, Germans also celebrated the 60th birthday of the Federal Republic of Germany and the fall of the wall.
He said reunification after 41 years of separation was like a dream come true and was greeted almost unanimously by East and West Germans alike.During the conference, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dr. Bounthavy Sisouphanthong touched upon ways to further develop cooperation activities in which Germany is already engaged.The topics included how to improve vocational training, strengthen micro-finance and boost small and medium enterprises.The challenges of measuring development results and the role of development results within the framework of the Lao planning system were also discussed at the conference.
