PM meets Cambodian, Indonesian leaders in New Delhi

New Delhi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on January 26 met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit marking the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations in New Delhi, India.

At the meeting with PM Hun Sen, the two sides lauded outcomes of activities celebrating the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2017, and showed their delight at the growth of 30 percent in two-way trade to reach nearly 4 billion USD in 2017.

They agreed to direct ministries and sectors to effectively implement agreements reached during the ninth Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle Summit in Siem Reap, Cambodia in November 2016, especially deals in economy, tourism, environmental protection, sustainable management and exploitation of natural resources, attraction of investment for development, and combating cross-border crimes.

They will work together to prepare for the 10th CLV Summit in Hanoi in March 2018.

Sharing their pleasure at the fruitful measures of ensuring border security and promoting border cooperation, the two sides concurred to ask relevant agencies to exchange experience in border demarcation and border marker planting, thus finishing the work soon, creating favourable conditions for the management of shared border.

PM Phuc asked his Cambodian counterpart to direct Cambodian authorised agencies to flexibly deal with issues related to legal documents and property of Vietnamese people in Cambodia, helping them lead a stable life and contribute to the host country’s growth.

The two PMs also declared to coordinate closely at upcoming ASEAN senior meetings, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

PM Phuc invited PM Hun Sen to attend the sixth Great Mekong Subregion Summit (GMS-6) and the GMS Business Forum slated for Hanoi in March 2018.

During his meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, PM Phuc showed his satisfaction at the growing ties between the two countries, especially after the Indonesia visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017.

The two leaders will direct authorities of both sides to actively realise agreements reached during the visit, while continuously seeking to increase two-way trade to meet the goal of 10 billion USD.

The two countries will work closely in conducting the declaration on joint vision on defence cooperation in the 2017-2022 period, and forming a new mechanism on policy consultation, information sharing, education cooperation, and search and rescue activities.

The two sides agreed to focus on completing the delimitation of economic exclusive zones at sea. PM Phuc thanked the Indonesian government for collaboration in returning Vietnamese fishermen captured by Indonesian forces, expressing his hope that Indonesia will continue dealing with the issue in the spirit of friendship, humanity and solidarity to suit the strategic partnership between the two countries. Indonesia should re-consider its policy of destroying fishing vessels, he suggested.

The Vietnamese Government leader recognised concerns of Indonesia over Vietnam’s new policy on imported cars, affirming that he is directing the Ministry of Transport to give specific guidelines, not worrying automobile exporters.

The two PMs also pledged to work closely at upcoming ASEAN meetings to contribute to strengthening intra-bloc solidarity and the grouping’s central role in the region.

Earlier, PM Phuc had a meeting with the new ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi. He invited the ASEAN leader to attend the GMS-6 and received Lim’s acceptance.

Also on January 26, PM Phuc joined leaders of the ASEAN countries in viewing a parade marking the 69th Republic Day of India.-VNA