Lao President Choummaly Sayasone will pay a state visit to Myanmar in the near future to boost bilateral and regional ties with the Southeast Asian neighbor, an official announcement from new capital Nay Pyi Taw said Sunday without giving specific date of the visit.

Choummaly's trip will mark a return visit to the one to Vientiane in May 2003 by Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, who is chairman of the State Peace and Development Council.

During Than Shwe's 2003 visit to Laos, the two countries signed an agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investment.

Over the past two years, prime ministers of the two countries also exchanged visits, with General Soe Win of Myanmar touring Vientiane in April 2005 and Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos traveling to Nay Pyi Taw in November 2006.

Myanmar and Laos are friendly neighbors with good bilateral relations. In January this year, Myanmar and Laos upgraded the two countries' respective border check points to meet international standard to boost arrivals of world tourists and those from a third country to visit the two countries' border areas.

These checkpoints are Wan Pong in Tachilek of Eastern Shan state on the Myanmar side and Ban Muang Mom on the Lao side. The Mekong River flows between the two towns as a border line.

Meanwhile, Myanmar and Laos have been placing emphasis on peace and security and development in the two countries' border areas, cooperating in drug control and agreeing to prevent trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, and control banned chemicals.

Besides, Myanmar and Laos are also cooperating in agricultural, forestry and marine sectors.

Both Myanmar and Laos are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation.

Source: Xinhua