Cambodia and Thailand have pledged to boost bilateral trade, despite military confrontation at the border disputed areas near the temple of Preah Vihear , a World Heritage site.

At his meeting with the visiting Thai Deputy Prime Minister, Trairong Suwankiri, on February 17, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia 's policy is to minimise disputes with Thailand .

PM Hun Sen also emphasised the necessity to control the dispute along the border, to prevent its further spread, and expand cooperation in other fields such as economics, trade, investment, tourism and culture.

For his part, Deputy PM Suwankiri thanked the Cambodian government for its support in organising the annual Thailand-Cambodia Trade Fair in Phnom Penh from February 17-20.

During his visit, Suwankiri attended the opening of the trade fair, which has attracted 150 Thai businesses and 25 Cambodian enterprises.

Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand amounted to 2.54 billion USD in 2010, up 54 percent over the previous year. Of the sum, Cambodia ’s exports were almost 215 million USD, while its imports reached 2.34 billion USD./.