HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn held phone talks with his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn on December 12 afternoon, during which Son underlined the importance of boosting close coordination between the two foreign ministries in stepping up the bilateral cooperation.

Sơn congratulated Sokhonn on his election by the Cambodian National Assembly as the Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and highly evaluated the Cambodian official’s positive contributions to solidifying and strengthening the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between Cambodia and Việt Nam.

Sokhonn stressed that Cambodia always attaches importance to maintaining the good neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability with Việt Nam.

The two sides' high-level visits, including the recent state visit to Việt Nam by King Norodom Sihamoni, serves as a testament to the traditional, friendship and close relations between the two countries, he said, affirming that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia will coordinate closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deepen the enduring cooperation.

The two officials expressed their pleasure with the positive outcomes of the bilateral cooperation in recent times, and agreed to work closely together to further intensify the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides exchanged views on orientations of the bilateral relations, and planned joint diplomatic activities in the time to come. They agreed to continue increasing high-level visits and meetings via all channels of Party, State, National Assembly, Government; as well as those between ministries, agencies, localities, and people-to-people exchanges.

The officials agreed to effectively uphold bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including organising the 21st meeting of the Joint Committee for Economic - Cultural and Scientific - Technological Cooperation and the 13th meeting on cooperation and development between border provinces in 2025 in Cambodia; and work with Laos to hold a meeting between the foreign ministers of the three countries.

They also agreed to continue to strongly and effectively promote the close-knit cooperation and friendship between Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia. — VNS