Luxembourg Signs Treaty of Amity & Cooperation in Southeast Asia

At the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos, Saleumxay Kommasith, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, visited Laos on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October 2024 to participate in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, participation in the ASEAN Summit was an opportunity for Minister Bettel to sign Luxembourg's instrument of accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which is expected to "significantly strengthen" Luxembourg's relations with ASEAN countries.

"Luxembourg's membership in the TAC, which is a cooperation pact concluded between ASEAN members and their partners, will help consolidate and diversify the existing links between Luxembourg and ASEAN countries, whether in the political, economic or cultural fields. We are particularly honoured that Luxembourg was the only European Union country to be invited to this summit, and only the sixth EU Member State to join the TAC, which shows the excellent relations that Luxembourg maintains with the ten ASEAN countries," stressed Minister Bettel.

Moreover, Minister Bettel held bilateral meetings with several counterparts from the region, including Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn.

On the sidelines of the summit, Minister Bettel also met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

Subsequently, the working visit to Vientiane was an opportunity for Minister Bettel to visit the Institut Pasteur du Laos (IPL), whose creation and development since 2007 have been supported by Luxembourg and which has hosted, since 2012, the Laboratoire Lao-Luxembourg (LaoLuxLab) created by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

After a visit to the laboratories and an exchange of views with the researchers, Minister Bettel signed an agreement formalising Luxembourg's support for the structural expansion of the IPL, which was followed by the laying of the foundation stone. This structural reinforcement will enable the IPL to implement its "ambitious scientific strategy", increase the total staff of the IPL, expand the dry and wet laboratory spaces and install storage facilities.

Minister Bettel later had a meeting with representatives of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Governor of the Central Bank of Laos on sustainable finance opportunities in Laos. This meeting was followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the GGGI and the Lao Securities Commission to promote green bonds in Laos with the support of Luxembourg.