Русский
Economic cooperation between Russia and Laos is progressing with trade nearly doubling over the past year, according to Irek Faizullin, the Russian Construction, Housing and Utilities Minister. He is also the co-chair of the Russia-Laos Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. The meetings followed on from Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith meeting with Russian President Vlaidimir Putin in May.
The two sides have been meeting in Moscow this week, with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also meeting with Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.
Faizullin said that “Our trade has nearly doubled over the past year. Our cooperation is very active, and work is underway through the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation.” Bilateral trade reached about US$50 million in 2025, relatively small, however showing promising growth.
Maxim Reshetnikov, also attending the meetings said that “Russia is ready to boost exports of food, mineral fertilizer, and machine engineering products to Laos. We are ready to purchase more Lao textiles, natural rubber, and coffee.”
This figure can also be expected to grow as the two governments signed an agreement on nuclear energy cooperation involving Rosatom. That was signed by Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev and the Minister of Industry and Trade of Laos Malaithong Kommasith, in the presence of the prime ministers of both countries, Mikhail Mishustin and Sonexay Siphandone.
Likhachev said that the intergovernmental agreement is a fundamental document for the establishment of full-scale cooperation between the two countries in the nuclear sphere, while the agreement will make it possible to start working on the construction of a Russian-designed nuclear power plant in Laos.
At the first stage, it is proposed to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for the integration of the future nuclear power plant into the country’s energy system. The study will determine the configuration of the project and potential regions for the plant’s location, which will give the Lao side the opportunity to make an informed decision on the nuclear energy development program.
Russia and Laos are also discussing the need to launch direct flights, while Reshetnikov added that Laos mineral resources were also being discussed. He said that “Laos has significant bauxite reserves that are important to develop the Russian aluminum industry. The development of energy, education, humanitarian ties, and tourism were also discussed.”
Laos is the smallest member of ASEAN with a population of 7.7 million, achieved an estimated GDP (PPP) of US$102 billion in 2025 and has an expected 2026 GDP growth of 4%. Laos is landlocked, and must rely on supply chains from either Vietnam or China. It has a developing tourism industry and is popular for its mountainous trekking and natural resorts, marking a change from southeast Asia’s numerous supplies of beaches and sea-based tourism. The country attracted 4.6 million tourists last year – a number equivalent to over half its total population.
