Obama meets with Laotian President

Barack Obama meets with his colleague Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit, that is the first visit to the Southeast Asian region by a sitting American president.

Barack Obama paid his first presidential visit to the Republic of Laos. Obama arrived at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, and despite the pouring rain the meeting of two presidents was warm.

Both presidents inspected troops before entering the sprawling pale gray compound, then Obama and Vorachit had their meeting in a stunning room with chandeliers and a wall-size mural of rolling green hills.

Obama acknowledged “the challenging history” between the US and Laos and express the hope the talks will “focus on the future.”