Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos Saleumxay Kommasith, and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia Sok Chenda Sophea during the meeting. Photo baoquocte.vn

NEW YORK – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn on Tuesday (local time) hosted a working breakfast with his counterparts from Laos and Cambodia.

The meeting with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea, took place on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

It marked the first high-level engagement between the three Deputy Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers following their Prime Ministers' summit at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in December 2023, which celebrated 50 years of ASEAN-Japan relations. The talks were aimed at implementing the outcomes of that summit, alongside existing trilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Deputy PM Sơn expressed his gratitude for the support extended by Laos and Cambodia in the wake of late General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s passing, as well as their assistance in helping Việt Nam recover from the impacts of Typhoon Yagi. He reaffirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to strengthening the special ties between the three countries, emphasising the desire to deepen cooperation at both the governmental and societal levels.

The three leaders agreed on the critical importance of maintaining strong bonds of friendship and collaboration to promote each country’s development. They underscored that these ties are a natural extension of the longstanding tradition of cooperation that has characterised their relations.

Amid growing regional and international complexities, the Deputy Prime Ministers highlighted the strategic significance of solidarity and mutual trust. They stressed the need for public outreach to increase awareness, particularly among younger generations, of the historical and ongoing importance of trilateral cooperation.

To further enhance relations, the three sides committed to sustaining and improving existing trilateral mechanisms. They also pledged to strengthen practical cooperation between their foreign ministries, boost information sharing, align positions on regional and global issues of shared interest, and advance infrastructure connectivity and economic linkages. Youth exchanges and leadership training were also highlighted as key to fostering lasting ties between the nations.

During the discussions, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed that his country’s withdrawal from the CLV Development Triangle Area would not impact other bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks involving the three nations.

The Deputy Prime Ministers and foreign ministers expressed a shared desire to continue close coordination to ensure more effective and substantive cooperation. They agreed that this would benefit their peoples, strengthen the ASEAN Community, and contribute to regional peace, stability, and development.

Concluding the talks, the three leaders agreed to hold annual meetings to review collaboration across key areas, aiming to promote comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnerships that support regional peace and stability. VNS