[Vietnamization] Viet Nam, Cambodia pledge to further co-operative relations

President Truong Tan Sang (R) receives Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in the central city of Hue yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang

Viet Nam, Cambodia pledge to further co-operative relations

 Vietnam News | 20 October 2015

Meanwhile, a senior military delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh is attending the Viet Nam - Cambodia Dialogue on National Defence Policies, from October 18 to 20 in Cambodia, as part of the 2015 Cooperation Plan between the two defence ministries.

HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam and Cambodia vowed to further tighten the traditional friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two nations in response to the wishes and aspirations of the governments and people of the two nations.

Pham Binh Minh, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong spoke at the 14th meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technology Co-operation in HCM City yesterday.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed the implementation of co-operation agreements signed in the 13th meeting Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee.

By the end of 2014, Viet Nam had 167 investment projects in Cambodia with total capital investment worth US$3.46 billion. Trade turnover between the two countries in 2014 reached $3.3 billion and in the first eight months of 2015, the figure was almost $2.5 billion.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh (R) meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen in Phnom Penh yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Khu

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese and Cambodian co-operation in the fields of education and training, tele-communications, agriculture, forestry, fishery, tourism, finance, banking, health care and others, in the period under review, have also reported much progress.

Deputy Minister Pham Binh Minh and Hor Namhong also agreed to seek measures to further promote the Vietnamese and Cambodian co-operation to a higher level, particularly in the fields of education and training, economics, trade and investment. The two leaders promised to do their best to lay a firm foundation to connect the two economies, particularly in transport, tele-communication, finance, banking and tourism.

The two sides also reiterated their commitment to finish the planting of border posts as soon as possible in order to build the Viet Nam - Cambodia border of peace, stability and co-operation for the development of both nations.

They also agreed to continue efforts in the search for Vietnamese army volunteers who were killed during the Cambodian war and then repatriated their remains to their native land.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

The Vietnamese side spoke highly of the Cambodian Royal Government for their co-operation in protecting the legitimate rights of Vietnamese overseas living in Cambodia in line with the host country's laws and regulations and in the spirit of friendly relations between the two nations.

The two sides also vowed to protect the sustainable use of the water resources in the Mekong River and step up their co-operation in Greater Sub-Mekong Region (GMS), the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Cambodian-Laos -Viet Nam Strategic Development and the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam co-operation (CLMV) and the Ayawadi - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS).

The two sides also agreed to further co-operate in the ASEAN, ASEM and other international forums.

At the end of the meeting, Deputy Minister Pham Binh Minh and his Cambodian counter-part signed the Minutes of Agreement of the 14th meeting.

The 15th meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee will be held in Cambodia in 2016.

Yesterday, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni began a tour of Viet Nam yesterday at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang.

President Sang met the Cambodian King in the central city of Hue, where he said the Vietnamese Party, State and people valued and prioritised strengthening their traditional friendship and co-operation with Cambodia, for the sake of the two peoples and for peace, stability, co-operation and development in the region and the world.

The Cambodian King said his people would never forget the valuable assistance the Party, State and people of Viet Nam had provided them over the years.

He also pledged to promote the friendship and co-operation between the two nations.

Military meeting

Meanwhile, a senior military delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh is attending the Viet Nam - Cambodia Dialogue on National Defence Policies, from October 18 to 20 in Cambodia, as part of the 2015 Cooperation Plan between the two defence ministries.

At the deputy ministerial-level event, the first of its kind, the two sides are discussing international and regional issues and their impacts on Viet Nam - Cambodia relations.

They reviewed the bilateral cooperation between the two countries over the past years, and sought measures to foster it moving forward with a focus on information sharing, training cooperation, delegation exchanges at all levels, border security management and protection, among others.

During the stay, the delegation is scheduled to pay courtesy visits to the Cambodian Prime Minister and Defence Minister and hold talks at National Defence University.