Vietnam and Cambodia are striving to search for and repatriate the remains of about 700 Vietnamese soldiers and specialists during the 2013-2014 dry season.

The agreement was reached between the special task force committees of the two governments at their 12th meeting on June 20 in Phnom Penh, which was co-chaired by Deputy Defence Minister and head of the Vietnamese Government’s Special Task Committee Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Cung, and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and head of the Cambodian Government’s Special Task Committee General Pol Saruon.

The two sides praised efficiency of their cooperation in recent years, which resulted in the repatriation of the remains of more than 15,000 Vietnamese soldiers since 2001, in line with the agreement signed between the two governments.

Speaking at the meeting, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Thanh Cung, expressed his thanks to the Cambodian Government, Special Task Committee and people for their support for the extensive search.

Meanwhile, General Pol Saruon declared that Cambodia will continue to make every effort to work with Vietnam in this field. He added that Cambodian local governments and citizens would be asked to facilitate the search for remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts.

The same day, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Thanh Cung presented the Friendship Order and Medal of the Vietnamese State and certificates of merit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence to 624 Cambodian organisations and individuals in recognition of their contribution to the search and repatriation of Vietnamese soldiers and experts’ remains.-VNA