Recognizing the "difficult history," President Obama on Tuesday went on a historical visit to the isolated country in Southeast Asia to heal the wounds of war and to give a new impetus to the relations with Laos, which is of strategic importance to the United States.
Obama was greeted by a military band, traditional dance and a warm, tropical rain. The US President said the President of the Lao Bounnhang Vorachith that he hopes to establish a partnership that would help the two countries to start over and promised that the new era will "mean a lot of progress and opportunity for the people of Laos ".
Obama is the first U.S. President, who visited the country after the United States held in her secret military campaign in an attempt to cut the Communist forces in neighbouring Vietnam. The bombing left deep scars, millions of unexploded cluster bombs throughout the countryside and decades of cleaning.
As the first sign of a new relationship, the Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will transfer $90 million over three years to clear the area from unexploded ordnance. The Lao government said it would step up efforts to recover remains of Americans missing since the Vietnam war.
For Mr. Obama, the visit is a milestone in its multi-year effort to strengthen relations with South-East Asia for a long time undervalued the United States. Advocacy rhetoric is a key element of Obama's attempts to focus US policy on Asia to counter Chinese dominance in the region and to ensure a foothold in emerging markets.