The talks took place right after the welcome ceremony hosted by General Phan Van Giang for his Cambodian guest.
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Gen. Phan Van Giang welcomes Gen. Tea Seiha. |
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The Vietnamese defense chief chairs the welcome ceremony for his Cambodian guest. |
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Generals Phan Van Giang and Tea Seiha review the Guards-of-Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. |
At the talks, Gen. Giang welcomed the first official Vietnam visit of Gen. Tea Seiha as the Deputy PM and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia. He expressed his belief that the visit will be successful, driving the bilateral defense cooperation to a new height, and deepening the time-honored friendship between the two countries in general and the two militaries in particular.
The Vietnamese defense chief congratulated the Cambodian guest on the 70th anniversary of the Independence Day of Cambodia and the foundation day of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (November 9, 1953 - 2023). He also congratulated the country on its important achievements in internal and external affairs, particularly the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)’s victory in the seventh National Assembly election in July this year and the successful organization of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) in May this year. He believed that under the leadership of the CPP, led by Chairman Hun Sen, and the Cambodian government and Prime Minister Hun Manet, Cambodia will reap greater achievements in the coming time.
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Gen. Tea Seiha at the talks |
Expressing thanks to the host for his congratulations, and the Vietnamese ministry for giving support to the development of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Gen. Tea Seiha emphasized that his visit this time aimed to deepen the two countries and two militaries’ ties. He confirmed that he will continue to inherit and promote the attainments that previous generations had obtained to foster the relationships between the two nations and militaries.
The two sides spoke highly of the positive outcomes of the bilateral defense cooperation, saying that it continues to be one of the important pillars in the two countries’ relations. They highlighted the effective maintenance of all-level delegation exchange, particularly at high level; active establishment and implementation of defense cooperation mechanisms; effective coordination in border protection, implementation of border marker demarcation and planting work, cooperation in training and collection of remains of Vietnamese volunteer troops and advisors who sacrificed their lives in the war in Cambodia, among others.
Regarding future cooperation, both ministers agreed to boost coordination and effectively implement the 2019-2024 protocol and the yearly cooperation plan, lifting the bilateral defense ties to a new height, making active contribution to the fruitful development of the two countries’ good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability.
Cooperation will focus on exchange of all-level delegations, personnel training, dissemination of information about the two militaries and peoples’ friendly ties, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, prevention of cross-border crimes, illegal border-crossings and immigration, and consultation and mutual support at multilateral forums and defense-military meetings.
Noting that next year will see a number of significant events of the two countries and militaries, especially the 45th anniversary of the victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime (January 7, 1979 - 2024), and the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22, 1944 - 2024), the two sides underlined the joint organization of celebration activities for these important events.
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Gen. Giang presents a souvenir to Gen. Tea Seiha after the talks. |
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Cambodian Minister of National Defense Tea Seiha presents a souvenir to his Vietnamese counterpart after the talks. |
The two ministers also reached agreement on closely coordinating to successfully organize the upcoming first Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia border defense friendship exchange and the first annual meeting among the defense ministers of the three countries in December this year. They emphasized that these events hold great significant meanings and confirm the political determination of three countries, three militaries in preserving and consolidating friendship and solidarity among three neighboring countries.
On the occasion, Gen. Giang invited his Cambodian counterpart and other leaders of the Cambodian ministry and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Vietnam International Defense Expo next year. Gen. Tea Seiha accepted the invitation with pleasure.
Translated by Mai Huong