[Vietnamization: Elections, Military, Border] Vietnam, Cambodia treasure close-knit relations

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and King Norodom Sihamoni at the gala dinner

Vietnam, Cambodia treasure close-knit relations

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and King Norodom Sihamoni reiterated the “good neighbours, traditional friendship, and sustainable, long-term, comprehensive cooperation” between Vietnam and Cambodia during a gala dinner hosted by the Cambodian King for the visiting Vietnamese Party chief in Phnom Penh on July 20 evening.

Vietnam Net Bridge | 21 July 2017

King Norodom Sihamoni said Party General Secretary Trong’s State visit to Cambodia will contribute to tightening the solidarity, friendship and fraternity between the two countries.  

“The visit is a vivid manifestation of the enhanced friendship, fraternity and the long-standing cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, hence bringing peace and development to their people and contributing to maintaining stability in the region and the world at large,” he said. 

The King noted that the exchange of official visits by Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders, which yielded good results, have contributed to strengthening the bilateral relationship. 

Vietnam and Cambodia have shared a stance in the international arena and worked together to preserve the ASEAN Community through negotiations, he said. 

In reply, Party General Trong expressed his satisfaction with outcomes of his talks with King Norodom Sihamoni as well as meetings with Cambodian leaders, during which the two sides reached high consensus on issues of common concern. 

He said the past 50 years have proven the close ties between Vietnam and Cambodia, which have been tested through struggles for national independence and against the genocidal regime Pol Pot, and the cause of national development in each country. 

Describing the relations as the valuable asset of both countries, the Vietnamese Party chief said the relationship is likely to reach a new high, meeting the aspirations and pragmatic interests of their people, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia and the world as well.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is in Cambodia for a State visit from July 20-22 at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni. 

Party leader meets with Cambodian Senate President

Vice President of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and President of the Senate of Cambodia Samdech Say Chhum (R) welcomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong held a meeting in Phnom Penh on July 20 with Vice President of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and President of the Senate of Cambodia Samdech Say Chhum.

While reviewing relations between the two nations over the past 50 years, Say Chhum stressed that the Cambodian people will never forget the sacrifices of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, who helped the Cambodian people escape from the genocidal disaster, revive and develop the country.

He shared the common perspectives of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability between the two countries, and promised to join hands with other Cambodian leaders in further promoting ties with Vietnam.

Having expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s great achievements over the past 30 years of reform, Say Chhum believed that the Vietnam people would continue reaping successes during the process of national construction and development in the future.

For his part, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated and highly evaluated great achievements that Cambodia has gained during its national construction and defence process.

He affirmed that despite changes in the world, Vietnam will consistently make every effort, together with Cambodia, to safeguard, maintain and reinforce bilateral relations for the common interests of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The leaders spoke highly of cooperative ties between the two countries over the past years, including relations between the Cambodian Senate and the National Assembly of Vietnam, suggesting that they should continue fostering cooperation and exchanging experience in legislation, while supervising the implementation of treaties, agreements and deals signed between the two countries, thus deepening the Vietnam-Cambodia traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

The leaders also held that Vietnam and Cambodia need to increase the exchange of information and coordinate closely at international forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN and sub-region cooperation mechanisms, contributing to peace, stability and growth in the region and the world.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong proposed President Say Chhum, along with the Senate and the National Assembly of Cambodia, will continue creating more favourable conditions, especially in terms of legal aspect, for Vietnamese nationals to lead stable lives and contribute to Cambodia’s national construction and development as well as enhancing the friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The leaders also agreed that the two sides will continue their joint efforts to successfully organise activities of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2017, stressing that this is a good chance for the two countries to enhance public awareness, especially among young generations, about their solidarity and traditional friendship.

Vietnam treasures relations with Cambodia: Party chief

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and Honorary President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin

Vietnam always attaches importance to and has continuously enhanced the solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. 

The Party chief made the affirmation while meeting with Honorary President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin in Phnom Penh on July 20 as part of his State visit to the neighbouring country. 

Congratulating Cambodia on its successful organisation of commune/ward  elections in 2017, the Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that the country will successfully organise next elections, especially the Senate and general elections in 2018. 

He affirmed that Vietnam treasures cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures over the past time, and suggested President Heng Samrin continue his instructions to intensify coordination and cooperation between committees of the two legislative agencies, especially through the exchange of experience and expertise in legislation, supervision and decision-making on major national matters. 

The two sides should step up their collaboration to prompt ministries, agencies, localities and businesses to effectively implement treaties and agreements signed between the two countries, helping to deepen the traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, said General Secretary Trong. 

For his part, President Heng Samrin pledged efforts to preserve and advance the solidarity, traditional friendship and goof neighbourliness.

He thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for their support to Cambodian during the struggles for national independence and against the Pol Pot genocidal regime, as well as the cause of national recovery and development.  [The CeePeePee's Hallelujah Chorus]

The Cambodian leader said the bilateral cooperation between the two legislatures is thriving, contributing to the relationship between the two countries.

The host described great cooperation achievements recorded by the two countries over the past 50 years as a momentum to bring their relations to a new height and a new period. 

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong took this occasion to inform his host that the Vietnamese Party, State and people have decided to donate 25 million USD to help the Cambodian NA construct a work building for its Secretariat and committees. 

The two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the donation between Vietnamese NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu and the Second Vice NA Chairman of Cambodia.

Party chief’s visit charts new course for VN-Cambodia ties

The meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen (L) and Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Phnom Penh

The visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong offers Vietnam and Cambodia a chance to chart a new course for their relationship, said Cambodia’s Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen at his meeting with the Vietnamese leader in Phnom Penh on July 20.

Hun Sen, who is President of the Cambodian People’s Party, asserted that the visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year bears a historical significance and constitutes a vivid manifestation of the sound neighbourliness, time-honoured traditional friendship between the two parties, governments and people.

The leaders shared the views that achievements attained over the past 50 years serve as an important foundation and provides a springboard for the two countries to lift their ties to the next level with durable trust, productive and concrete assistance, broader cooperation and closer coordination at multilateral forums. 

They affirmed that changes on the world arena cannot affect the solidarity and friendship between the two countries, expressing their belief that the current visit to Cambodia by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the recent visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Hun Sen will help with spurring the friendly neighbourliness and all-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

The leaders showed their delight that the ties between the two Parties and countries have unceasingly been cemented and expanded across the board, contributing to maintaining political stability and spurring socio-economic development in the respective countries. 

They agreed that regular meetings and contacts between senior Party and State officials should be maintained, cooperation of ministries, sectors, people’s organizations, and localities, especially border ones, expanded, education on the bilateral ties for people, especially youngsters, promoted, and coordination in organizing activities marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, well done. 

They renewed the principle of now allowing any political and military forces to use one country’s territory to threaten the other’s security, stressing the need to reinforce collaboration in humanitarian activities, managing the shared border, checkpoints, and activities at sea, and combating trans-national crimes.

They reached a consensus on ratcheting up the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers fallen in Cambodia as well as the upgrade of Vietnam-Cambodia friendship monuments in both countries.

They agreed to step up connecting the two economies on a win-win basis, focusing on infrastructure, energy, tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishery towards achieving a two-way trade value of 5 billion USD prior to 2025.

Regarding the border issue, they renewed the respect and full implementation of signed agreements, agreeing to soon complete the planting of auxiliary border markers and sign posts and continue seeking fair and appropriate solutions to completely tackle the border sections remained unfinished in order to make the borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development. The countries will work together closely in fighting against viewpoints and actions that make corrupt of the border issue to undermine the two countries’ relations, they said. 

The leaders discussed activities at regional and international organization and multilateral forums and agreed to enhance the exchange of information and coordination and work with regional countries to seek efficient measures to maintain the peaceful, secure and development environment in the region and build the strong and united ASEAN Community. 

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong raised the need to implement cooperative initiatives in the greater Mekong sub-region on the basis of protecting the environment without negatively affecting the livelihoods of people living along the Mekong river.

He also referred to the development of a development triangle between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and cooperation in the greater Mekong sub-region, among others, 

On the East Sea issue, the leaders agreed to continue working closely with countries concerned to push for the settlement of the dispute in the sea by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and regional commitments, the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early completion of a Code of Conduct in the area to maintain peace, stability, maritime and overflight safety and freedom there.  

At the meeting, the Vietnamese Party leader asked the PM to help the Vietnamese community lead a stable life with secured legal status to enjoy fair treatment and contribute to the host country’s growth. 

On the occasion, the leaders witnessed the signing of a joint statement on enhancing the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, and other cooperative documents, including the one on connecting the two economies and a protocol on regular search and rescue in land border areas.

On the day, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his entourage laid flowers at the statue of Norodom Sihanouk, and visited the King’s mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.

They also laid a floral tribute to the Independence Monument, the Norodom Sihanouk Memorial, and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument.

Later, King Norodom Sihamoni hosted a state banquet in honour of the Vietnamese leader and his entourage.

VNA