On October 9, after an official welcoming ceremony at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Hun Manet described the visit as important for bilateral relations and expressed gratitude for Vietnam's support during Cambodia's struggle for independence, liberation from the genocide regime and current nation-building. He said Cambodia wants to preserve and develop good-neighborly relations, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.
Le Minh Hung said the relationship had been built through the contributions of many generations and was important for regional peace, stability and development. Vietnam will continue strengthening solidarity and closeness between the two peoples with Cambodia.
The prime ministers noted positive developments in bilateral ties. High-level political contacts have strengthened relations, while defense and security cooperation remains important. The two sides also noted results in the economy, trade, investment, education, tourism and people-to-people contacts.
The sides agreed to implement existing agreements more effectively and coordinate more closely on security, public order and social safety. They reaffirmed that no force should use one country's territory against the other or harm its security and interests.
Vietnam and Cambodia will coordinate border management and protection and the fight against transnational crime, especially cybercrime and online fraud. Vietnamese agencies are ready to share experience and coordinate more closely with Cambodia in this field.
The sides agreed to connect their economies more closely, develop border trade and make it easier for companies from both countries to operate. They set a goal of raising bilateral trade to $20 billion in the coming period, developing cross-border industrial and agricultural value chains, increasing processing and moving from traditional trade toward investment, production and deeper processing.
They also agreed to expand cooperation between localities, especially border provinces, and improve infrastructure, trade and logistics links. Economic cooperation should go together with security and public order along the border.
The prime ministers stressed the importance of people-to-people contacts, especially programs linking young people and young leaders. These connections should help younger generations understand their shared history and traditions of friendship, solidarity and cooperation.
The sides discussed regional and international issues and agreed to share information, consult on security, stability and development, and coordinate more closely in ASEAN and other multilateral mechanisms.
After the talks, Le Minh Hung and Hun Manet witnessed the handover of six bilateral cooperation documents covering security, drug prevention, trade, culture, education and training.
Sources: Thanh Niên
