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Vietnamese and Cambodian delegations at the talks |
During the talks, the Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang expressed the delight at welcoming General Tea Banh and the Cambodian delegation to Vietnam. He emphasized that General Tea Banh and members of the Cambodian delegation were the first distinguished guests to visit the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense in 2023.
General Phan Van Giang took the occasion to congratulate Cambodia on its successful holding of the election of deputies to commune/ward councils in 2022, affirming that this was a solid premise for the success of the Cambodian National Assembly election in 2023. He also congratulated the country on its successful fulfillment of political, diplomatic, military-defense events in the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2022.
General Phan Van Giang expressed his belief that General Tea Banh's visit would be a great success, creating a new momentum and contributing to further tightening the good friendship between the two countries, the two defense ministries, and the two militaries. The Vietnamese defense leader also believed that Cambodia would successfully host the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) and the 12th ASEAN Para Games in 2023.
For his part, General Tea Banh assessed that the cooperation between the two militaries has been further consolidated over the past time and obtained fruitful outcomes despite the complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to General Tea Banh, the militaries of the two countries have been determined to contribute to consolidating and developing the Cambodia-Vietnam friendship by promoting the cooperation and effectively implementing the contents in the annual cooperation plan.
At the meeting, the two defense ministers agreed that 2022 was a year of special significance for the relations between the two countries. The year was chosen to be the “Vietnam-Cambodia, Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Year" by their senior leaders. The two ministries conducted nearly 30 activities in the year including the first Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange in May 2022, the 45th anniversary of the historical journey by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to overthrow the Pol Pot's genocidal regime (June 20, 1977- 2022) in June 2022, the annual meeting between the defense ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and the first joint search and rescue exercise between the three countries' militaries in Laos in September 2022.
Over the past time, agencies and units of the two sides have well maintained the exchange of information and situation, ensured stability, security, and order on land and sea border lines, and effectively implemented contents of the cooperation plan in 2022.
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The two defense ministers signing the Defense Cooperation Plan for 2023 |
Regarding orientation for bilateral cooperation in the coming time, Generals Phan Van Giang and Tea Banh agreed on the contents of the Defense Cooperation Plan for 2023 in the spirit of trust, substance, and efficiency. Particularly, they agreed to focus on strengthening cooperation and exchange of information and situation; coordinating in patrolling and maintaining security and order on land and at sea; closely working together to develop a long-term plan on dissemination of solidarity and mutual assistance between the two governments, peoples, and militaries, especially on such major events as the 70th founding anniversary of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in 2023, the 80th anniversary of establishment of the Vietnam People's Army in 2024; coordinating in implementing cooperation activities and related contents in the year that Cambodia hosts SEA Games 32 and ASEAN Para Games 12; fostering cooperation in the field of human resource training, search, collection and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors who laid down their lives when performing international duties in Cambodia.
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Generals Phan Van Giang and Tea Banh witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of military and defense law between two defense ministries |
At the end of the talks, the Vietnamese and Cambodian Defense Ministers signed the Cooperation Plan for 2023 and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia on cooperation in the field of military and defense law.
Translated by Tran Hoai