HÀ NỘI -- Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng will pay a State visit to Cambodia from July 20-22 at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations has announced. 

Yesterday, one day before the visit, Deputy PM Trịnh Đình Dũng and his Cambodian counterpart Kim Ke Yan hosted a ceremony inaugurating a road linking Lệ Thanh-O Yadav international border gate in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

According to current agreements, around 500 commercial vehicles are allowed to travel from each side at seven border gates. However, only five out of seven border gates are in operation.

Việt Nam has supported Cambodia with preferential loans to upgrade Road No. 78 in Cambodia and the road connecting two checkpoints of Lệ Thanh-O Yadav international border gate.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cambodian Deputy PM Ke Kim Yan expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government, ministries and agencies and Gia Lai Province for supporting Cambodia in upgrading infrastructure at border areas and facilitating the two sides to soon begin operation of the Lệ Thanh-O Yadav international border gate.

He said that the inauguration of the road helps the border gate optimise its effectiveness, ensure benefits for local people and promote the two nations’ economic, trade and tourism development as well as realise the connection capacity between road projects and other projects serving the people from the two sides.

On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, Deputy PM Trịnh Đình Dũng hailed the two nations’ achievements in economic, trade, investment, national defense and security, culture, education and tourism cooperation.

Cooperation between localities, especially border provinces, has been enhanced. The two sides have promoted close cooperation in border management, the prevention of smuggling, trade fraud and criminal activities.

The operation of the road will help reduce expenditure and time as well as facilitate transport between the two nations in particular and the region in general, contributing to the two nations’ socio-economic development, said the Deputy PM.

In the future, the Deputy PM proposed the two sides’ Governments direct the Steering Committee on Land Border Demarcation to soon complete land border marker planting to establish a border line of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development.

He proposed the two sides continue cooperation in facilitating transport and enhancing management and guaranty of transport to develop the neighboring friendship and comprehensive cooperation relations between the two nations.--VNS