Vietnam and Cambodia, the two neighbouring countries,have a long-standing friendship and have spent years fighting side by side for independenceas well as conducting the national construction and development. The "good neighbourliness,traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation" between the two countries has been strengthened stably. Their political relationship has been enhanced as the senior leaders from the two countries have maintained visits, meetings and exchanges in different forms. In particular, after the two countries reopened following the pandemic and Cambodia successfully held elections for the councils at communal and ward levels, delegation exchanges at all levels have been fostered.
The two sides have coordinated each other to organise many important activities in the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2022as well as in celebration of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.
Economic and tradecooperationbetween Vietnam and Cambodia has grown positively. Vietnam maintains its leading position in ASEAN andranks among the top five countrieswith the largest direct investment capital in Cambodia.
Economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia has grown positively. Vietnam maintains its leading position in ASEAN and ranks among the top five countries with the largest direct investment capital in Cambodia. The two-way trade turnover in the first nine months of this year saw a year-on-year increase of 16.7%. The important bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been maintained and continue to be effective.Their cooperation in the field of defence, security and border management has been deeply strengthened. The cooperation among localities and people-to-people exchanges have been deepened. Meanwhile, the cooperation in education, science-technology and tourism have been boosted. In the first six months of this year, the number of Vietnamese visitors topped at 28.3% of total tourists to Cambodia.
Vietnam and Cambodia have cooperated and supported each other at regional and international forums. Vietnam has coordinated Cambodia to successfully assume the role of ASEAN Chair in 2022. The two sides have jointly contributed to promoting solidarity, unification and consolidating the central role and enhancing ASEAN's resilience to cope with challenges.
The 40th and 41st Summits of the ASEAN and related summits will take place in Cambodia in the context of rapid, complicated and unpredictable changes of the regional and world situation. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy has shown signs of recovery, in which Asia-Pacific emerged as a region with a fast but not sustainable recovery. ASEAN has basically developed stably and united in many issues, especially the process of building the Community. However, the region stills faces both internal and external challenges.
Over the years, Vietnam has continued to proactively and actively participate in and make responsible contributions to maintaining and promoting a balanced and harmonious approach to regional and international issues as well as consolidating the central role and promoting the responsibility and voice of ASEAN for peace, stability and development. Vietnam is seen as a bridge that helps narrow differences and increase consensus within the Association, as well as between ASEAN and its partners.
As an important activity in the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Cambodia continues to affirm that the two countries always attach great importance to and give high priority to good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation, towards bringing the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries into a new stage of development on the basis of respect, equality and mutual benefit.
The visit affirms that Vietnam always supports Cambodia to successfully assume the role of ASEAN Chair in 2022 and make great contributions to promoting intra-regional solidarity and central role of ASEAN in the region.
In the context that Cambodia has hosted the summits of ASEAN and between the Association and its partners and Vietnam has also taken on many important multilateral positions in 2022, PM Pham Minh Chinh’s visit acts as an opportunity for leaders to discuss regional and international issues and support each other at multilateral forums. In particular, the visit affirms that Vietnam always supports Cambodia to successfully assume the role of ASEAN Chair in 2022, contributing to promoting intra-regional solidarity and central role of ASEAN in the region. This shows that the Vietnam-Cambodia strategic cooperation not only benefits the two countries but also contributes to solving regional and global issues.
Participating in the ASEAN Summits and related summits, Vietnam affirms that the country will continue to make active, proactive and responsible contributions to consolidating solidarity and improving the capacity of ASAEN in effective response to challenges, confirming the role and prestige of ASEAN, and promoting the relations with partners for the process ofbuilding ASEAN Community. The Vietnamese Government leader’s meetings within the framework of the ASEAN Summits and related summits will contribute to promoting cooperation between Vietnam and international partners and friends in a deeper and more effective manner.
May the official visit of Prime Minister to Cambodia and his attendance of the 40th and 41st Summits of the ASEAN and related summits in Phnom Penh be a great success and create a new impetus to bring Vietnam-Cambodia relations and cooperation in the ASEAN into a new stage of more practical, effective and reliable development, contributing to the peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
