Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit has called on the Lao people's Army to make wide-range improvements and be ready to fulfill its task to safeguard the nation's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The call came while the Lao president addressed a grand military parade on Sunday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Lao People's Army (January 20, 1949-January 20, 2019) at Kommadam Military College in Vientiane province.

According to local daily Vientiane Times reports on Monday, President Bounnhang Vorachit, who is also the secretary general of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), called on the Lao Party committees, the Lao state administrations and sectors at all levels to increase their responsibility in implementing the national defence and security guidelines of the LPRP.

This will contribute to the improvement and strengthening of the Lao People's Army, making the army a core force in protecting the nation's sovereignty and revolutionary achievements while maintaining social security, the report quoted the Lao president as saying.

The president also called on the party and the army to actively enhance their tradition of bravery and enshrine a spirit of patriotism and loyalty to the nation, the LPRP, and the people.

The president underlined the need for the army to strengthen itself by upgrading its leadership and commanding capability, exercising its combat and battling tactics, and employing modern techniques.

During the event on Sunday, spectators watched parades featuring personnel from each of the armed forces including the air force, as well as military equipment such as tanks, weaponry and air defence systems, together with a flypast by fighter jets.