almughavar
Political commissar
The actual joke is based on a (rumored) exchange between Laotian and Vietnamese representatives at an ASEAN summit regarding who should host the following year ASEAN summit which would place an emphasis on maritime security within the region:
"Laos: I want to host that one.
Vietnam: Dude, you're the only one in SEA without maritime access.
Laos: So? You hosted the summit on Culture last year."
In that case it’s very likely to be an imitation of a certain “Radio Yerevan joke”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Yerevan_jokesRadio Yerevan was asked: "Why did they establish a Ministry of the Navy in landlocked Armenia. Do you have a sea?"
Radio Yerevan answered: "To spite Azerbaijan. They had established a Ministry of Culture."