YANGON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar new Prime Minister Thein Sein, who has been promoted to a military rank of general, will pay official visits to Laos and Vietnam in the near future, according to an official announcement from Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday.

    It will be the first trip abroad for Thein Sein after he was appointed prime minister on Oct. 24.

    In March this year, Lao President Choummaly Sayasone visited Nay Pyi Taw, while in October-November Myanmar Foreign Miniaster UNyan Win visited Vientiane, during which a meeting of Laos-Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation was held.

    Myanmar and Laos are friendly neighbors, enjoying 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 the third countries visiting the two 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.

    Myanmar and Laos have also 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.

    Meanwhile, in August this year, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Nay Pyi Taw, during which mutual cooperation and enhancement of friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, especially in economy, trade and investment were touched upon with a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation between Vietnam and Myanmar in oil and gas being also signed.

    According to official statistics, Myanmar and Vietnam had a bilateral trade volume of 70.5 million U.S. dollars in the fiscal year 2006-07 which ended in March, up from 54.4 million dollars in2005-06. Of the total, Myanmar's exports to Vietnam took up 58.23 million dollars, while its imports from Vietnam amounted to 12.27 million dollars, enjoying a trade surplus of 45.96 million dollars.

    The two countries are striving to raise the bilateral trade volume to 100 million dollars in 2007-08, according to a decision by the Myanmar-Vietnam Joint Trade Committee.