[Vietnamization] Vietnamese, Cambodian foreign ministers confer on sea disputes

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (R) shakes hands with his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhon in Hanoi on June 22, 2016.

Vietnamese, Cambodian foreign ministers confer on sea disputes

Tuoi Tre News | 23 June 2016

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhon discussed matters relating to issues in the East Vietnam Sea on Wednesday in Hanoi, as part of the latter’s official visit to Vietnam from June 21 to 23.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two high-ranking officials reiterated the significance of Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang’s trip to Cambodia, which took place from June 14 to 16.

The visit helped boost the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship and elevate their comprehensive cooperation to a higher level, the two asserted.

Regarding regional and international issues, Minister Minh and Sokhon agreed that the two nations should continue providing mutual support at multilateral forums.

The two also affirmed that Hanoi and Phnom Penh should also work with other ASEAN member states to magnify the central role of the organization, contributing to peace, stability, security, and cooperation in the region and the world.

ASEAN is short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The two parties reached consensus on the settlement of disputes in the East Vietnam Sea via amicable solutions, condemning the use of threat and violence, as per international law, namely the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC), with a view to establishing a Code of Conduct for the maritime area.

The two diplomats also vowed to carry on their collaboration with other neighboring countries in the management and sustainable use of water resources from the Mekong River.

Minister Minh asked Cambodian authorities to further provide the Vietnamese expat community in Cambodia with stable and favorable living conditions, contributing to the enhancement of the two nations’ friendship.

The Vietnamese official also urged Cambodia to consider new policies for Vietnamese businesses, including the double taxation avoidance agreement, in order to strive for US$5 billion worth of bilateral trade turnover.

The same day, Minister Sokhon joined in talks with President Quang and later with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During their conversation, the Vietnamese premier suggested that Vietnam and Cambodia strengthen their multifaceted ties, especially within ASEAN.

He also hoped that Phnom Penh would continue to make its stance match that of other ASEAN countries on the East Vietnam Sea situation, consolidating the ASEAN Community and preserving regional security.