Lt.Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến, Commander of the Việt Nam Border Guard High Command (seventh from the left), and Gen. Hun Manet, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, present scholarships to 30 students from An Giang Province (Việt Nam) and Takeo and Kandal provinces (Cambodia). — VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

AN GIANG — The Border Guard High Command of Việt Nam and the Ministry of National Defence of Cambodia held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss border management and defence.
The event, held in the city of Châu Đốc in Việt Nam’s southern province of An Giang, was part of the two countries’ border friendship exchange programme.
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Lt. Gen. Hoàng Xuân Chiến, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Central Military Commission and Commander of the Việt Nam Border Guard High Command.
Participating Cambodian officials included Gen. Hun Manet, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army; Gen. Sao Sokha, Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia; and Gen. Siek Socheat, head of the border affairs office of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
At the meeting, the two sides said the countries’ border defence forces need to continue creating favourable conditions to complete the planting of border markers on schedule. They also need to protect the achievements attained so far to serve the signing of a border agreement, helping build a Việt Nam-Cambodia border of peace, stability, friendship and co-operation.
The two sides’ forces will work together to tackle incidents occurring along the shared border in accordance with the agreement on border regulations and other deals between the two governments in the spirit of friendship, co-operation and not allowing hostile forces to sabotage bilateral ties.
They will also co-ordinate to maintain political security and social order and safety while investigating and preventing crimes, particularly cross-border organised crimes and terrorism.
The officials also agreed to work together in the prevention of illegal exits from and entries into each country, fight against non-traditional crimes, search and rescue in disasters and prevention of illegal deforestation and exploitation of agricultural and forest products in border areas.
Border defence forces of Việt Nam and Cambodia will collaborate to facilitate border residents’ travel to receive medical examinations and treatment, visit relatives and exchange goods.
They will give counselling about promoting ties in border areas to local authorities, step up communications to boost locals’ adherence to the agreement on border management regulations and each country’s laws and encourage border residents to engage in preventing illegal exit and entry, fighting smuggling and reinforcing solidarity.
Both sides agreed to take part in border programmes at all levels to strengthen friendship, mutual understanding and co-operation between their authorities and relevant forces.
Also on Tuesday, Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyễn Chí Vinh received a delegation of the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence.
Việt Nam and Cambodia share 1,137km of land border that runs across 10 Vietnamese and nine Cambodian provinces. — VNS