HÀ NỘI – President of the Cambodian National Assembly Heng Samrin delivered a speech at the ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Việt Nam-Cambodia diplomatic ties held in Hà Nội on Saturday.

Following are key excerpts from his speech translated by the Vietnam News Agency.

"On behalf of the Cambodian National Assembly delegation, I would like to thank leaders of Việt Nam, the National Assembly, and people for giving us a warm welcome since we arrived in Hà Nội. It’s truly that each time I was here, I have always witnessed rapid aesthetic appearance changes and unceasing development of this city.

I highly valued and would like to commend on the sound organisation for the ceremony to take place in a solemn manner which is full of solidarity, brotherhood and closeness.

The organisation of the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam-Cambodia diplomatic ties today is a great historical event, constituting that the well-established traditional solidarity and friendship and sound co-operation between our countries haven brought mutual benefits for our nations, especially in winning back peace, stability and prosperity.

This big political event offered a good chance for the two countries to communicate, educate and promote deeper understanding of the importance and value of the traditional solidarity and friendship and all-faceted co-operation between our countries for young people, including those born today and those to be born tomorrow, so they would work together to preserve and further foster this relationship for it to thrive in a more stable fashion.

In addition to this, this anniversary was aimed to herald immense achievements attained together by the two countries’ Parties, Governments, National Assemblies and people over recent time, especially the efforts reached the upcoming completion of the Việt Nam-Cambodia border of peace, amity, cooperation, and development.

As said by Madame Chairwoman of the Việt Nam National Assembly regarding how the countries’ good co-operation and ties were born and have developed as well as robust growth achieved by Vietnamese under the sound and mindful leadership of Vietnamese leaders through various periods, the Cambodian NA would like to congratulate and highly value the immense gains and successes that Việt Nam’s Party, State, Government, and people have unceasingly achieved during their recent socio-economic development cause, and believe that the realisation of the 2016-20 five-year socio-economic development plan of the Communist Party of Việt Nam will make Việt Nam grow faster and achieve its goal as an industrialised and modernised country by 2020.

The diplomatic ties of our countries founded by Cambodia’s Head of State Norodom Sihanouk and President of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam Hồ Chí Minh have gone through half a century. The two countries possessed a history of together fighting, sharing and surmounting difficulties, hardships and challenges in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism for our each country’s noble cause, freedom, peace and independence. At present, both our countries have ushered in a new page of history and have gained peace, territorial integrity, and development. They have advanced firmly toward with confidence in building a strong national economy to bring growths for our nations and to contribute importantly to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

I as well as other partners and Vietnamese veterans present here must still remember clearly the atrocity suffered by Cambodia during the mid-1970s and the bravery of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, who fought shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers of the Cambodian National Salvation Front in breaking up the Pol Pot genocidal regime - who killed more than three innocent Khmer people, ruined their country to ashes, and completely destroyed the national economy, which has never ever happened in Cambodia’s history. After being liberated on January 7, 1979, grave support and assistance from fraternal Vietnamese people and other friend countries have allowed Cambodia to restore, build and develop the country of Cambodian as it is today. This fact and bravery have ingrained in the heart of Cambodian people and cannot be forgotten.

During the past 50 years, the relations and cooperation between the two countries in the framework of the Parties, States, Government and National Assemblies have been reinforced and stepped up constantly, reaching a never ever new height in history following the motto "good neighbours, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability", and respect for the respective independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Our countries’ relations and cooperation have been reaping fruits in many fields, including politics, social-economic affairs, tourism, culture, education, science and trade. The historical, important outcome reached by both sides is the border demarcation and border marker planting, which are completing around 83 percent of the workload. This manifested efforts made and real goodwill of the two countries in tackling land birder issues to make the shared border the one of peace, friendship, cooperation and development for peace, stability and wealth of their people. These factors have created a peaceful and stable environment, helping accelerate economic growth to raise the living conditions and reducing poverty for our people.

In addition to, the exchange of visits, including State, official and friendship ones made by high-ranking leaders as well as by experts and businesses has been carried out regularly and on the rise, contributing to cementing and deepening further the sound friendship and solidarity and closely-knitted cooperation between the two countries. Within the economic-trade framework, the two countries have accelerated affiliations across spheres, with the two Governments prioritising trade and pushing it towards the goal of US$5 billion in the near future. Specifically, in 2015, two-way trade hit $3 billion and Việt Nam ranked fifth among investors in Cambodia.

Though bilateral cooperation and assistance from other friend countries and the international community, especially the tireless efforts by the Royal Government, Cambodia has become an island of peace achieving robust growth. Cambodia has worked to turn into a new economic tiger in Asia after having experienced poverty, difficulties and crisis over the past decades. The once-war-victim country has owned successes that relied on solid economic growth, averaging 7 percent and above during 2011-16, helping millions of Cambodians escape from poverty with average GDP per capita rising from $288 in 2000 to $1,300 in 2016.

Together with maintaining the macro-economy stability, Cambodia’s economy could continue retaining its 7 per cent growth to help the country achieve its long-term goal of becoming a mid-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050. Cambodian will continue consistently embarking on the open economic policy in a more active manner via endeavouring to make connectivity in all forms and integrating extensively and intensively into the regional and global economies.

I’m so glad to inform you that in the preliminary outcomes of the commune/ward people’s council election, the fourth tenure in June, 2017, the Cambodian People’s Party won in 1,150 communes/wards, accounting for 70 per cent of the 1,646 communes/wards nationwide and 6,512 seats in the commune/ward people’s councils, accounting for 56.27 per cent of the total commune/ward people’s council seats nationwide. This result showed the huge victory of the Cambodian People’s Party in the upcoming Senate election and the General election in 2018.

Within the legal framework, relations and cooperation between the two countries’ national assemblies have been unceasingly strengthened and developed through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two parliaments, bringing common benefits. The two National Assemblies are also pleased and support traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Governments.

During the last four tenures, the two National Assemblies strengthened their sound cooperation and mutual support through the delegation exchange at high level as well as at specialised committee and expert levels, while supporting each other at regional and international forums. Particularly, the official visit by Madame Chairwoman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam to Cambodia in early September 2016 and the official visit by the President of the Cambodian National Assembly to the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam in August 2014 have significantly contributed to strengthening and consolidating bilateral cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures in a deep, practical and effective manner. In addition, the two National Assemblies conducted visits between specialised committees and the friendship parliamentary groups, organised Cambodia-Laos-Việt Nam workshops, ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Alliance Forum, Asian Inter-Parliament, World Inter-Parliamentary Union, and so on. Thereby, they have created opportunities for the two National Assemblies to share experience and information for interests of the two countries and peoples of Việt Nam and Cambodia.

On behalf of the Cambodian people, I would like to sincerely thank the Party, State and people of Việt Nam for their valuable support and assistance to the Cambodian people in recovering and rebuilding the country, especially the precious service and great sacrifice of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who performed the international mission to help free Cambodians escape from the Pol Pot genocidal regime on January 7, 1979.

I believe that the heroic sacrifice examples in the history of traditional friendship, solidarity and cooperation in nation building of the leaders of previous and today generations are further preserved, nurtured and fostered by the two people of the future generations.

Finally, I wish the traditional friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and Cambodia will last forever."