A Brief Look at Lao-German Relations - Laotisch-Deutsch Diplomatische Beziehungen

Ten years ago many visitors to Laos were from Australia, England, and America.  Now, many are German and French.

Here is a brief look and some interesting facts on Lao-German diplomatic relations.

• When did bilateral relations began? 
  1958
   
• How much trade between the 2 countries?
  Depending on which source you look up there seems to be varying amounts.  In this case, the following figures have been taken directly from the source as noted below.  Germany imported €72,645,000 euros worth of goods from Laos (2013) and exported €35,691,000 euros (2013).
   
• Laos' trade cost with Germany are one of the lowest.  By comparison, it costs 10% more for Laos to trade with America (2012).
  
  
• How much development aid does Germany give to Laos? 
  €29.4M euros (2013).
  
  
• Are there German NGOs operating in Laos?
  Yes.  For example:
  www.giz.de (technically not an NGO but rather a well known federal German aid agency)
  www.die-bambusschule.de
  www.welthungerhilfe.de
   
• Do Germans need a Lao visa to enter?  Cost? 
  Yes.  It costs €40 euros.
   
• How many Germans visited Laos? 
  29,250 (2013).  A 25% increase from the previous year. 
   
• How does this compare to other European tourists? 
  Germany ranks #3 for most European tourists to Laos.  It's preceded by France with 52,411 and the UK with 41,741.
   
• Does Laos have an embassy in Germany?  Address? 
  Yes and it's located at:
  Botschaft der Demokratischen Volksrepublik Laos in Berlin
  Bismarckallee 2A
  14193 Berlin
  Phone: +49 (030) 890 606 47
  Fax: +49 (030) 890 606 48
  Email:  info@laos-botschaft.de
  Website:  www.laos-botschaft.de
   
• Does Germany have an embassy in Laos?  Address? 
  Yes and it's located at:
  Deutsche Botschaft Vientiane
  Sokpalouang 26
  P.O. Box 314
  Vientiane, Laos
  Phone: +856 21 312110
  Fax: +856 21 351152
  Email: 
  Website:  www.vientiane.diplo.de
   
• When were the most recent high level visits?
  In 2012, H.E. Mr. Dirk Niebel, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, visited Laos and met with H.E. Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Lao Foreign Minister.
   
• Recent political sticking points?
  Germany, like the rest of the EU, posed many questions and attempted to apply some pressure to the Lao government to provide answers and concrete actions in the search for the widely popular and beloved missing Lao civil activist Sombath Somphone (who is still unaccounted for).

* Sources:   German Federal Statistics Office, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Lao Embassy in Berlin, Lao Tourism Authority's 2013 Report