Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang (left) and President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and President of the Senate Samdech Techo Hun Sen. — VNA/VNS Photo

PHNOM PENH — Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang made an official visit to Cambodia from November 23 to 26, during which he joined an annual meeting with Cambodian and Lao defence ministers, and witnessed a joint search and rescue exercise between the armies of the three countries.

The Vietnamese minister held several high-level meetings and participated in various bilateral and multilateral activities and events in Phnom Penh and other localities, with the aim of further promoting and deepening the defence cooperation between Việt Nam and Cambodia, as well as strengthen defence cooperation among the three countries.

Giang paid courtesy calls on President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and President of the Senate Samdech Techo Hun Sen, and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet. He also held talks with Deputy PM and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia General Tea Seiha.

In his meeting with Hun Sen on November 26, Giang highlighted the traditional friendship and good neighbourliness between the two countries, affirming that Việt Nam always attaches importance and gives the top priority to continuously consolidating and developing the relationship characterised by good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability with Cambodia.

Việt Nam always gives the highest support to the CPP and backs an independent, peaceful, developed Cambodia that plays a greater role in the international arena, he stated.

For his part, Hun Sen affirmed that Giang's visit contributes to further strengthening the friendly and close relationship between the two countries and the two armies. He wished the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), will continue to achieve many new achievements, stressing that Việt Nam's development will also help Cambodia and Laos develop.

Cambodia will always preserve and nurture the relationship between the two parties, the two countries, and their people, he stressed.

The two sides valued cooperation achievements of the two countries during the recent times, expressing deep appreciation for the support, solidarity, and sacrifices made for each other during the struggle for national liberation in the past, as well as the process of national construction and development at present.

Giang informed Hun Sen about the outcomes of his earlier talks with General Tea Seiha, as well as the annual meeting of the defence ministers of Việt Nam, Laos, and Cambodia. He expressed his hope that Hun Sen will support Cambodia’s relevant agencies to closely coordinate with the three countries’ defence ministries to effectively and comprehensively implement the defence cooperation agreements achieved during the talks and the meeting.

Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang (left) and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet at a reception in Phnom Penh on November 24. — AKP/VNA Photo

Receiving Giang on November 24, Hun Manet spoke highly of the increasingly strengthened relationship between Cambodia and Việt Nam across all fields, which, he said, brings benefits to the people of both countries and contributes to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

He expressed his deep gratitude to Việt Nam for its continuous support to his country in the struggle for national liberation, in saving the Cambodian people from the genocidal regime, and in the current cause of national construction and development. The PM affirmed that Cambodia, together with Việt Nam, will protect, preserve, and nurture the bilateral relations, towards elevating it to new heights.

Hun Manet affirmed that Cambodia values strengthening defence cooperation with Việt Nam and will continue to support and provide the best conditions for activities related to the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia.

Cambodia supports the Vietnamese army's enterprises which are effectively doing business in the country, and contribute positively to its socio-economic development, he stated.

Giang said he hoped that the Cambodian PM will support and instruct relevant agencies of Cambodia to facilitate and closely cooperate with the defence ministries of the two countries in implementing defence cooperation contents comprehensively and effectively.

Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang and Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha at the welcome ceremony in Phnom Penh for the former. — Photo from the Ministry of National Defence of Việt Nam.

At their talks, Giang and Tea Seiha showed their pleasure at the fruitful development of the bilateral defence ties, and the effective implementation of the Protocol on Defence Cooperation for the 2020-24 period between the two nations.

The two sides agreed to deepen and strengthen defence cooperation in the coming time, ensuring it becomes more effective and substantive, and continue to solidify its position as one of the key pillars in Việt Nam-Cambodia relations.

This cooperation will focus on maintaining high-level meetings and existing cooperation mechanisms; enhancing collaboration in political and ideological fields, promoting education and awareness-raising about the history, significance, and importance of the Việt Nam-Cambodia solidarity relationship; strengthening cooperation in managing and protecting land and sea borders, information sharing, and joint patrols; effectively combat cross-border crimes; facilitating economic development of border residents and fishermen; improving the effectiveness and quality of human resource training; continuing mutual support in international and regional issues, thus making significant contributions to the solidarity and central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The two ministers signed a protocol on defence cooperation for the 2025-2029 period, and a cooperation plan between the two ministries in 2025.

During his stay, authorised by the State President, Giang on November 26 presented a second-class Labour Order to Metfone, a subsidiary in Cambodia of the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel), in recognition of its outstanding contributions over the past 15 years. Metfone has become a symbol of friendship and strong economic cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Earlier, on November 24 afternoon, Giang visited the MB Cambodia Bank, Public Limited Company (MB Cambodia) -- a subsidiary of Việt Nam's Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB), one of the symbols of defence cooperation between Việt Nam and Cambodia in recent times.

Giang and the Vietnamese delegation also visited the Win – Win Memorial monument in the outskirts of Phnom Penh; and offered incense and laid wreaths at the Việt Nam - Cambodia Friendship Monument in the capital city of Cambodia. — VNA/VNS