Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on April 23 held talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Samdech Hun Sen, on issues relating to the two countries’ relations and other issues of common concern.

At the talks, the two PMs were delighted to find that the solidarity, friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia continue to develop rapidly in all fields ranging from politics and economics to culture and education, in both width and depth.

They highly valued preparations for the second Vietnam - Cambodia Investment Promotion Conference to be hosted by the two PMs on April 24. During the conference, the two sides expect to sign a number of cooperative agreements in such areas as aviation, banking, telecommunication, hydropower, mining, rubber and sugarcane growing.

The two leaders expressed their belief that the conference will be a success, contributing to bolstering the economic cooperation between the two nations to a new level, thus bringing about practical interests to both sides.

PMs Dung and Hun Sen acknowledged great efforts by the two countries’ officials involving in border demarcation and marker planting over the past years, saying that the completion of land border demarcation and marker planting and the early building of a Vietnam - Cambodia borderline of peace, friendship and cooperation not only have an important strategic significance for each country and the bilateral relationship but also are a factor that helps ensure peace, development and prosperity of the region and the world as well.

The two Government leaders asked border demarcation and marker planting forces to continue closely cooperating and mobilising all their strengths to fulfill the set targets.

The two PMs agreed to entrust the two countries’ Joint Committee for Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting to reach definite settlement as soon as possible of the locations of markers No. 30 at the Le Thanh (Gia Lai) – Odadao (Ratanakiri) international border gate and No. 275 at the Tinh Bien (An Giang) – Phnom Don (Takeo) international border gate; and marker No. 314 located in Kien Giang province and Kampot province, the last one on the land border line between the two countries, and the areas of Chang Riec, Tan Ha, Tan Dong and Tan Binh (Tay Ninh province of Vietnam), On Lung Chrey, Thlok Trach, Bung Chron, and Phum Don (Kampong Cham province of Cambodia).

The settlement of these areas will be implemented under the principles specified in the 1985 Treaty on Delimitation of National Boundaries and the supplementary treaty in 2005 between Vietnam and Cambodia , they said.

During the border demarcation and marker planting process, the two sides will base on the borderline defined on the map and the borderline under management in reality to adjust areas on which people from either country have farmed or lived on the other country on the basis of balancing interests and acreage in order to ensure stable lives and daily activities of border residents, they added.

The two PMs held that the definite settlement of the above-mentioned marker positions and areas will be a model for the two sides to continue addressing other existing areas, creating a favourable premise for the completion of border demarcation and marker planting work along the entire Vietnam – Cambodia land borderline on schedule before the end of 2012 as agreed by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders.

Expressing their deep worries about negative impacts on the environment when building hydropower works on the main stream of the Mekong River, including the Sayabouly dam, the two leaders said they wished countries along the banks of the Mekong River, including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) International will discuss carefully to reach a consensus on this issue before making a decision on the building of hydropower works on the main stream of the river.

PM Hun Sen informed his Vietnamese counterpart on the border conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand in recent days. PM Dung expressed his deep concerns about complicated developments on the Cambodia - Thailand border.

He affirmed that as a neighbour of both Cambodia and Thailand, and a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam hopes the two sides do their utmost to restrain themselves to avoid armed conflicts and continue addressing their differences through peaceful negotiations on the basis of the basic principle of international law and the UN Charter, and in the spirit of friendship and solidarity within ASEAN for the interests of the two countries’ people and for peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world at large.

Vietnam calls upon Cambodia and Thailand to seriously implement commitments reached at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Retreat in Jakarta , Indonesia on February 22, 2011, to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated.

After the talks, the Vietnamese and Cambodian PMs witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the two governments on borderline adjustments for several pending areas on the Vietnam - Cambodia land border and a cooperative agreement between the two countries’ aviation sectors./.