New Cambodia-Laos border gate pair opened

Champasak province in Laos, in the lower Mekong basin shares, a common border with Cambodia (Photo: KhmerTimes)

Phnom Penh (VNA) - The Trapeng Krean – Nongnok Khean international border gate pair, the first of Cambodia and Laos, officially opened on January 10 with the aim of promoting trade and tourism between the two ASEAN neighbours.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen and his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith co-presided over the inauguration ceremony.

The crossing, which connects Cambodia’s Steung Treng province with Laos’ Champasak province, marked a new achievement of the two countries’ bilateral ties, and will facilitate bilateral border trade, tourism and connectivity.

It is expected to boost the countries’ regional integration while accelerating East-West market connectivity, facilitating the development of the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle area as well as linking ASEAN with other regions, said Lao PM Thongloun Sisoulith.

For his part, Cambodian PM Samdech Hun Sen pledged to offer favourable conditions for land-locked Laos to use Cambodia’s roads, waterways, ports on the Mekong River and sea docks to connect with other areas and the world.

He also added border Cambodian and Lao residents are allowed to use laissez-passers to cross the common border from this January.

Cambodia and Laos established diplomatic ties 60 years ago. The two countries share the 450-kilometer-long border. To date, they have finished about 83 percent of border demarcation work with 121 out of the 145 markers planted.-VNA