Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (right) welcomes General Tea Seiha, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Government will continue to create the most favourable conditions for defence cooperation between Việt Nam and Cambodia to develop in a stable, substantive and effective manner, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng said on Tuesday.

He made the statement while welcoming General Tea Seiha, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence at the Government Office in Hà Nội.

The Cambodian leader is paying an official visit to Việt Nam to attend the annual meeting of defence ministers of Việt Nam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as a joint military exercise involving the three countries.

PM Hưng praised the two countries’ defence ministries for effectively carrying out high-level agreements and shared understandings, helping maintain defence and security cooperation as a key pillar of bilateral relations.

He called on both sides to step up exchanges on strategic issues and attach greater importance to personnel training, particularly specialised training and language education.

He also urged closer coordination in land border demarcation and management, improved connectivity of border infrastructure and border gates and greater opportunities for businesses from both countries, including defence enterprises, to expand cooperation.

The two sides should also continue working together to search for, collect and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia during wartime, he said.

General Seiha thanked Việt Nam for its support in training and medical treatment, confirming that Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence would work closely with its Vietnamese counterpart to effectively implement bilateral agreements and cooperation plans with priority given to policy consultations, logistics cooperation and exchanges and interaction between young officers.

The two sides will also work on preparations for activities marking the 2027 Year of Friendship, which will celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Cambodia. — VNS