Co-chairs of the event were Second-in-Command in charge of law of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command Senior Colonel Vu Trung Kien and Deputy Chief of the Navy and Head of the Front-line Tactical Commanding Post, Cambodian National Committee of Maritime Security Vice Admiral Tea Sokha.
Regarding the outcomes of the implementation of the protocol on a hotline communication mechanism between the two forces, Colonel Kien said that some of the cooperation activities could not be carried out according to the signed protocol due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. However, thanks to the hotline, the two sides have maintained exchange of information about the situations of the sea and fishermen. The Vietnamese side informed the Cambodian side of the enhanced patrols, inspections of the law enforcement forces of Vietnam in the waters bordering Vietnam and Cambodia to discover and handle illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing cases. Also via the hotline, the Vietnamese side has asked its Cambodian partner to further exchange information, give assistance, and deal with situations at sea.
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The Vietnam Coast Guard delegation at the meeting |
For his part, Vice Admiral Tea Sokha highly praised Vietnamese and Cambodian fishermen for observing the two countries’ laws. He also noted that there remain illegal fishing and wood and cigarette-related smuggling cases. Therefore, he suggested that the two sides intensify information exchange, coordination in settlement of sea-related situations in the coming time, contributing to upholding the shared waters of stability, peace, cooperation, and development.
Also at the meeting, the two sides affirmed the importance of their bilateral cooperative ties. They agreed to further implement the protocol, share information about IUU fishing, support fishermen of the two countries during operation at sea.
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Senior Colonel Vu Trung Kien (R) presenting souvenir to Vice Admiral Tea Sokha |
They also reached agreement on exchange of delegations at the regional level, particularly between Cambodian National Committee of Maritime Security’s Frontline Tactical Commanding Post and Vietnam’s Coast Guard Region 4 Command and organization of the fourth meeting in Cambodia in the third quarter of 2023.
They consented to actively participate in multilateral forums on enforcing law at sea and ensuring maritime security to which both agencies are members.
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Delegates in a joint photo |
On the occasion, Colonel Kien invited Vice Admiral Tea Sokha and the delegation of the Cambodian National Committee of Maritime Security to attend the first-ever exchange entitled “Vietnam Coast Guards and Friends,” scheduled to take place from December 8-12 this year in Hanoi.
Translated by Mai Huong