Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia Samdech Techo Hun Sen review the guard of honour of the Royal Cambodian Army. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

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HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday on his official visit to Phnom Penh, highlighting the long-term, comprehensive and sustainable cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.

The Vietnamese leader also congratulated Cambodia on COVID-19 management and recovery, the successful 7th national assembly election, and the country’s positive contributions as the 2022 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He believed that Cambodia would successfully host the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings, which take place from November 10 to 13.

Welcoming PM Chính, the Cambodian leader said that the visit bore great meaning as the two countries celebrated the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen commended Việt Nam on national development, post-pandemic recovery, and on being elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-25 tenure.

With meaningful activities conducted within the framework of Việt Nam - Cambodia Year of Friendship in 2022, the prime ministers said that further developing the two countries’ relationship to be more in-depth, practical and efficient would be crucial to both sides.

They agreed on strengthening the cooperation on national defence and security, as well as the effective implementation of current agreements and mechanisms to ensure political stability, social security and order in each nation. The two leaders stressed the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use the territory of one country to harm the security and interests of the other.

Areas of focus in this aspect would be fighting human and drug trafficking, as well as collaboration in cybersecurity and citizen protection.

PM Chính thanked Cambodian authorities for working closely with Việt Nam to successfully rescue many Vietnamese citizens lured to Cambodia for illegal work. He asked the two sides to maintain close coordination to thoroughly deal with this issue.

The two countries would also continue working together on repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia, and those of Kampuchea United Front for National Salvation (KUFNS) soldiers from Việt Nam to Cambodia.

In terms of economic cooperation, the two-way trade turnover in 2021 reached over US$9.5 billion, which increased by 80 per cent compared to the previous year.

Within the first nine months of 2022, this figure reached $8.45 billion, a 16.7 per cent year-on-year growth.

Việt Nam currently has 198 active investment projects in Cambodia, with a total capital of $2.92 billion, making it the biggest investor from ASEAN, and one of the top 5 investors in the neighbouring country.

The two leaders agreed to promote the connection between the economies in terms of infrastructure, policies and framework, as well as in international integration.

They also stressed the importance of border trade and economic development cooperation in border areas. An agreement on the matter was signed during this visit.

PM Chính and Samdech Techo Hun Sen agreed on upholding the border treaties signed between the two countries, while continuing to find a satisfactory solution to 16 per cent of the borderline that is yet to complete the demarcation process.

Other areas for cooperation include education and training, transport, agriculture - forestry - fishery, information and communications, finance - banking, culture, tourism and sports.

Discussing the situation in the region and the world, the leaders agreed that Việt Nam and Cambodia need to strengthen coordination and support for each other at multilateral forums, especially in ASEAN and Mekong sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, while promoting solidarity and the central role of ASEAN.

In their talks, they highlighted ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, trust building, law compliance, and addressing disputes by peaceful means based on international laws, which include the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They also called for the compliance with Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and promoted the completion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) in accordance with international regulations

Following the talks, the two prime ministers joined a signing ceremony of 11 agreements between Việt Nam and Cambodia. — VNS