Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung (right) and Cambodian Ambassador to Việt Nam Touch Sopharath at their talks on May 21. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Thursday for newly-appointed Cambodian Ambassador to Việt Nam Touch Sopharath, believing that she will succeed in her post and help deepen the friendship between the two nations.

Trung stressed that Việt Nam always puts solidarity and friendship with Cambodia at the top of its agenda. He expressed delight at strides made in Việt Nam–Cambodia relations in recent years, noting that Party-to-Party cooperation mechanisms are steering bilateral ties toward sustainable development for the benefit of their people.

He singled out Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s recent trip to Cambodia to co-chair the high-level meeting between the Communist Party of Việt Nam's Politburo and the Cambodian People’s Party Standing Committee, as well as a summit of ruling-party leaders from Việt Nam, Cambodia, and Laos, describing them as historic in both significance and scale.

Regular high-level exchanges and contacts at all levels have cemented trust and close ties between leaders and people of the two countries, while national defence-security ties remain stable and effective. Bilateral trade continues to be a bright spot, alongside increasingly vibrant people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Sopharath, for her part, pledged to work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) as well as other ministries, agencies, and localities to deliver on commitments and agreements reached by leaders of the two Parties and countries, with the aim of making cooperation more substantive and effective across the board.

She congratulated Việt Nam on its recent gains in socio-economic development and administrative reform, including the drive to streamline the state apparatus, and credited the MoFA with a meaningful role. She said she was confident that Vietnam would keep notching successes and hit the development targets set by the 14th National Party Congress.

The guest agreed with Trung’s proposals to boost political trust, maintain regular high-level exchanges, enhance national defence-security ties, and coordinate responses to non-traditional security challenges. She also backed stronger economic connectivity, including transport infrastructure and border gate linkages, as well as expanded cooperation in culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, and joint celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties on June 24, 2027.

On the occasion, both sides underscored the importance of peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and sub-region, stressing that differences must be settled through dialogue and peaceful means.

He further highlighted the need to strengthen ASEAN unity and intra-bloc cooperation to jointly respond to current challenges triggered by global economic and social volatility. — VNA/VNS