Vietnamese Ambassador Thach Du said that 50 years ago, on June 24, Vietnam and Cambodia established diplomatic ties for the interests of their people.
In a letter sent to Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, President Ho Chi Minh stressed that establishing diplomatic ties was “a vivid manifestation of the close friendship and solidarity in combat, a historical event in the Vietnam-Cambodia relations, and an active factor to maintain peace in Southeast Asia”, Du said.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Thach Du.
The ambassador lauded the support from Cambodian leaders and people for Vietnam’s struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as for the repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Cambodia.
Congratulating Cambodia on its socio-economic development, Vietnam hopes the country will achieve more success, he added.
Say Chhum expressed his delight at development of the two countries’ friendship, reflected through regular visits by their leaders.
According to him, in the context of strengthened political relations, bilateral economic, trade and investment ties have also improved.
Two-way trade reached nearly USD 3 billion in 2016. The two countries’ leaders hope to raise the figure to USD 5 billion in the future.
About 1 million Vietnamese visit Cambodia each year, ranking first in terms of the number of foreign tourists to the country in the last eight years, he said.
President Say Chhum affirmed that Cambodian people are thankful for the Vietnamese people’s assistance in the past and at present, especially in helping liberate Cambodia from the Pol Pot genocidal regime in 1979.
He said he believes that the two countries will continue tightening their friendship, solidarity and cooperation for common prosperity.
Source: VNA