King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni meets State President Lương Cường in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni held talks with State President Lương Cường yesterday, agreeing to promote bilateral relations in all areas to continue the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The Cambodian king was in Hà Nội for an official visit to Việt Nam from November 28-29 at the invitation of the Vietnamese President.

Welcoming King Norodom Sihamoni, President Cường expressed confidence that this visit positively contributes to Việt Nam-Cambodia cooperation between the two countries, benefiting the development and prosperity of both nations, as well as regional and global peace, stability, and development.

He also praised Cambodia’s development progress under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni over the past two decades, which has significantly improved the people’s living standards and elevated Cambodia’s role and status regionally and globally.

The Vietnamese leader expressed his wish that the Cambodian people continue their success in the future, achieving the goal of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income nation by 2050.

He also underscored that Việt Nam always places great importance on strengthening and developing relations with Cambodia.

He noted that Việt Nam’s leaders and people have always been grateful for the support of the Cambodian royal family, government and people during Việt Nam's fight for independence in the past, as well as in national building and protection today.

Conveying regards from Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and the Cambodian leaders to President Cường, King Norodom Sihamoni expressed great appreciation for the impressive achievements of Việt Nam over four decades of Đổi Mới (Renewal).

Việt Nam has a progressive foreign policy, with multiple comprehensive strategic partnerships globally.

The Cambodian king expressed confidence that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, Việt Nam will continue to achieve many significant accomplishments in the coming years.

King Norodom Sihamoni also conveyed the Cambodian people’s gratitude towards Việt Nam’s for their support in escaping the genocide in the country in the past and during the current process of national development.

He stressed that, alongside Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, National Assembly President Khuon Sudary, and Prime Minister Hun Manet, he will continue to reinforce the traditional bilateral relations and friendship built by generations of leaders and people of both countries.

Việt Nam-Cambodia relations are an invaluable asset that both sides need to preserve for future generations, he stressed.

President Cường requested that King Sihamoni, alongside Cambodia's high-level leaders, continue to address the obstacles and facilitate granting citizenship to eligible individuals of Vietnamese descent in Cambodia.

He also asked that the Cambodian government create favourable conditions for Vietnamese nationals and people of Vietnamese descent to live, work and establish themselves legally and stably in Cambodia, integrating with the local community, and serving as points of connection for the friendship between the two countries.

On the same day, King Norodom Sihamoni also met Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính as part of his official visit. — VNS