During talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on December 20, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen said his visit aims to promote traditional friendship and all-around collaboration with Vietnam in a solid and extensive manner.
The Vietnamese PM, for his part, expressed his belief that the visit will be an important milestone elevating the two countries’ friendship and cooperation for the sake of their people.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen
He wished 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.
Both sides agreed to facilitate visits by the two countries’ leaders and officials from ministries, agencies, localities and trade unions while working closely together to effectively implement signed agreements between the two nations and governments.
They pledged to thoroughly prepare for the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (June 24) in order to increase mutual understanding between the two people, especially young generations. The two foreign ministries will direct activities for the event.
On the occasion, they agreed to promptly convene the 15th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Inter-governmental Committee next year.
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 further stepping up transport and electricity connectivity, tourism, telecommunication and banking within the framework of a master plan on connecting Cambodian, Lao, 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 were 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 Cambodian relevant 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 to overseas for study.
As regards border issues, the Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting was assigned to work hard to quickly 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.
About the overseas Vietnamese affairs, the Vietnamese host wished 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.
The two sides agreed to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to promptly resolve the illegal immigration to Cambodia by the Central Highlands ethnic minorities thoroughly in accordance with the Vietnam-Cambodia-UNHCR agreement signed on January 25, 2005.
They also discussed regional and global issues of shared concern.
On the occasion, PM Phuc accepted PM Hun Sen’s invitation to visit Cambodia next year with pleasure.
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 one between Vietnam’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion.
Source: VNA