>>> Top Vietnamese leader leaves Hanoi for visits to Laos, Cambodia
This is the first visit to Cambodia by Nguyen Phu Trong as General Secretary and State President. The visit is an important political event, affirming that Vietnam always attaches great importance and gives high priority to strengthening friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, continuing to bring the relationship between the two countries into a profound manner with stability and sustainability.
Visiting the neighbouring country, General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong carries the friendship of Vietnamese people to Cambodian people, congratulating the achievements of the Cambodian people under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni and the leadership of the Cambodian Royal Government, especially the great comprehensive achievements in the cause of constructing a Cambodia with peace, stability and prosperity, with an increasingly important role and position in the region and the world.
In 2018, Cambodia successfully organised the election of the country’s sixth National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution. Cambodia's situation is stable, entering a new stage of development. The economy has maintained a high growth rate, reaching about 7.3%. People's lives have improved significantly and the poverty rate has fallen sharply, while foreign relations have been strengthened and expanded.
Vietnam is pleased to see that, for more than half a century, despite undergoing multiple difficult and challenging periods, the two peoples have always united, standing side by side and giving support to each other in the struggle for national liberation in the past as well as in the construction and development of each country today. It is an invaluable, sacred property that the two peoples need to continue to preserve and nurture.
Over recent years, Vietnam - Cambodia relations have continued to be strengthened in all fields, contributing to maintaining political stability and socio-economic development in each country. Regarding political relations, the two sides continue to maintain and promote effective cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties and the two States. The two countries regularly exchange high-level visits and other visits at all levels to promote the solidarity and traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation to a more extended, effective and trusted manner.
The traditional close relationship between the Vietnamese Party and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is strengthened and developed in the orientation of promoting the solidarity, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two States and the people of the two countries. Cooperation on defence, security and external relations continue to be strengthened, while economic, cultural, educational and scientific - technical cooperation continues to grow.
In 2018, trade turnover between the two countries reached US$4.68 billion, an increase of 23.7% compared to 2017. Both sides are striving to increase bilateral trade turnover to US$5 billion in the coming years. Vietnam currently has more than 200 investment projects in Cambodia with a total investment of more than US$3 billion, focusing on the fields of agriculture and forestry. Cooperation between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries, especially the localities sharing the Vietnam - Cambodia border is promoted in a more practical and effective manner.
The two sides have focused on promoting cooperation under signed agreements, while coordinating well in handling border issues both on land and on sea, as well as maintaining stable security in border areas. So far, the two sides have completed more than 84% of the demarcation and landmark planting and are determined to complete this task soon, to bring the border between the two countries into a border line of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development.
The two countries promote cooperation and good coordination in regional and international cooperation frameworks, such as the United Nations, ASEAN, ASEM, Mekong Sub-region cooperation, East-West Economic Corridor, and the Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia triangle development.
May the state visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia by General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong be a success, contributing to strengthening the trust and attachment between the Vietnamese Party and the CPP, taking the orientating role for relations between the two countries, helping to create a driving force to promote the “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation” between Vietnam and Cambodia into a profound, stable and sustainable manner, for the benefit of the two peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
