Top government leaders from Vietnam and Cambodia have expressed their desire to cement and develop bilateral ties in the spirit of “good neighborliness, traditional friendship, all-faceted and long-lasting cooperation”.
During talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on December 20, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen said his visit aimed to promote traditional friendship and all-round collaboration with Vietnam in a solid and extensive manner.
The Vietnamese PM, for his part, expressed his belief that the visit would be an important milestone elevating the two countries’ friendship and cooperation for the sake of their people.
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen in Hanoi__Photo: VNA |
He hoped that the two countries would work more closely, respect each other’s legitimate interests, jointly settle remaining issues, maintain an environment of peace and stability, and strengthen friendship between the two peoples.
On economic, trade and investment ties, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade will soon conduct negotiations for the signing of the Vietnam-Cambodia border trade agreement.
The host suggested stepping up transport and electricity connectivity, tourism, telecommunication and banking within the framework of a master plan on connecting Cambodian, Lao, and Vietnamese economies.
The two countries will direct their transport ministries to chair negotiations on the governmental-level agreement on transport cooperation strategy as mentioned in the agreement adopted by the 14th session of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation.
The ministries are required to negotiate the signing of a deal to build a highway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh on the occasion of a meeting between the two PMs next year, as well as survey the model “One door- one stop” which is expected to be launched at Moc Bai - Ba Vet border gate.
Host and guest committed to maintaining the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use one’s territory to sabotage security of the other, as well as jointly fight smuggling, illegal immigration, crimes involving drugs, human and weapon trafficking, trans-national and cyber crimes.
PM Phuc thanked the Cambodian government for partnering with Vietnam in the search and repatriation of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia. He asked his counterpart to instruct relevant Cambodian agencies to complete the construction, repair and restoration of Vietnam-Cambodia friendship memorials.
Hailing the signing of the education cooperation agreement for 2016-2020, the two leaders underscored the importance of improving training quality and living expenses for students sent overseas for study.
With regard to border issues, the Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting was assigned to work quickly to complete land border demarcation with fair, appropriate and acceptable measures and settle emerging issues at border areas in line with existing mechanisms and the spirit of neighborliness between the two countries.
On the subject of overseas Vietnamese affairs, the Vietnamese host hoped that Hun Sen would continue directing agencies to accelerate the settlement of legal papers involving Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia, making it easier for them to settle in and contribute to bilateral ties.
Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of an agreement on judicial assistance in criminal matters between the two governments; an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between the two countries; and another between Vietnam’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion. -(VNS/VLLF)
