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At the event (Photo: vov.vn) |
Phung Cong Dung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of Ho Chi Minh City, recalled Cambodia’s painful history under the rule of the Pol Pot genocidal regime.
In response to the urgent appeal from the Cambodian people and the Kampuchea United Front for National Salvation, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers stood side by side with the revolutionary armed forces and people of Cambodia to topple the Pol Pot regime and liberate Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979 to build a new society.
The date January 7, 1979 went down in history as a milestone of the faithful solidarity and special friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia as it was the day when the Cambodian people escaped from the scourge of genocide and entered a new era – the era of independence, freedom, and revival, and it also heralded a new chapter in the two countries’ neighborliness, he noted.
Dung hailed Cambodia’s enormous achievements obtained over the last more than 40 years under the leadership of the Royal Government ruled by the Cambodian People’s Party and the Royal Family.
He also highlighted the two countries’ Friendship Year 2022, when a number of activities were held to mark the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations (June 24).
Addressing the gathering, Cambodian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sok Dareth affirmed that the victory on January 7, 1979 was a historic event of great significance to the Cambodian people and bilateral ties.
The Cambodian people always keep in mind the sacrifice by Vietnamese volunteer soldiers to help liberate the country from the Pol Pot genocidal regime and prevent the return of this regime. They also treasure the Vietnamese people’s wholehearted assistance for the reconstruction and development of Cambodia, he went on.
The diplomat held that in the time ahead, the two countries should maintain cooperation, solidarity, fraternity, good neighborliness, and high political trust; strongly promote bilateral trade, investment, and tourism; and respect and effectively implement all the signed agreements for the sake of common interests and their prosperity. They should also encourage young people to share experience and build up friendship so as to solidify the close-knit relations between the two nations' people.
Source: VNA