Vietnam and Cambodia have reaffirmed to continue maintaining and promoting the valuable traditional friendship between the two countries.

In a joint statement issued at the end of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Cambodia at the invitation of King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni on Dec. 8, the two sides expressed their pleasure and pride of the practical and efficient development of the fine neighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive and long-lasting cooperation.

They once again affirmed to maintain and promote the traditional friendship and pass it on to younger generations on the basis of principles in the Vietnam-Cambodia joint statements in 1999, 2005 and 2009, describing this as one of important factors to ensure the victory of each country’s national construction and defence.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the two sides agreed to name 2012 as the “Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year”.

The two sides stressed the importance of economic cooperation and committed to further expand and improve efficiency and quality of economic cooperation in order to match both countries’ aspirations and potential.

They emphasised the resolve to double two-way trade to 5 billion USD in the next five years and encouraged their businesses to boost cooperation and investment in border areas, particularly the Development Triangle.

The two sides reaffirmed their policy of not allowing any hostile force to use the territory of one country to threaten security of the other country. They agreed to increase cooperation to ensure political security and coordinated in fighting trans-national crimes, illegal immigration, as well as in searching, unearthing and repatriating remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Cambodia .

The two sides committed to efficiently implement border treaties, agreements and pacts between the two countries along with speeding up land border demarcation and marker planting, building the common borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development.

They also agreed to expand joint patrol cooperation to maintain stability in the two countries’ sea area and assign the two countries’ border committees to launch negotiations on sea boundary demarcation.

The two sides decided to continue to create favourable conditions and treat each other’s residents as equally as other foreign citizens.

The Vietnamese side highly valued and thanked the Government and people of Cambodia for their legal conditions for the Vietnamese people living in Cambodia .

The two sides shared views on international and regional issues of common concern, agreed to enhance cooperation with Laos to build the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle into an area of peace, security and sustainable development.

They were unanimous to actively participate in building the ASEAN Community, contributing to peace, stability in the region, and solve disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law and regional commitments.

They also agreed to increase cooperation with Mekong River countries to manage and use efficiently water resources while promoting environmental protection and preventing adverse impacts on all people living along the river.

The two sides spoke highly of fine results and significance of the state-level friendship visit to Cambodia by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and described it as an important historic event, contributing to bringing solidarity, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation to a new height./.