Washington, DC - Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson: "On behalf of the United States of America, I offer congratulations to President Bounnhang Vorachit and the people of Laos on the occasion of Laos’ National Day on December 2.

"The ties between the United States and Laos continue to develop in the spirit of our Comprehensive Partnership, and we expect these bonds to grow ever stronger in the years to come. The continued cooperation on legacy war issues, our strong support for Laos’ development goals, and our expanding commercial engagement reflect the growing friendship between our two nations.

"We are committed to working with Laos to deepen our partnership and to bring shared prosperity and security to our two countries, Southeast Asia, and the world. We wish the Lao people a prosperous and joyous year."