Trip beefs up Vietnam-Cambodia friendship, people-to-people exchange

Phnom Penh (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation is paying a visit to Cambodia from August 1-4 in a bid to cement the bilateral friendship and people-to-people exchange, amid the celebration of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Nguyen Thi Thanh, Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee's Board for Deputy Affairs and President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association, leads the delegation.

Following the schedule, Vietnamese delegates met a delegation of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association headed by its President Men Sam An, who is also Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia. They paid courtesy calls to President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin, President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum, and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

At the meeting of the two friendship associations, the sides informed each other of their operations and conditions of their respective nations. They signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for 2022 – 2027.

Hosted by Cambodian leaders, Thanh congratulated the nation on its recent important achievements in national development, COVID-19 response, and socio-economic recovery. She said she believes Cambodia is about to reap more successes in the future.

Highlighting her gratitude for support to Vietnam by the Cambodian leaders and people so far, she stated the Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Association will work closely with its Cambodian counterpart to preserve, protect, and promote the nations’ faithful friendship, traditional solidarity, cooperation and mutual assistance toward peace, stability, and prosperous development.  

For their part, Cambodian leaders thanked Vietnam for its aid to Cambodia during its struggle for national independence, getting rid from the Pol Pot genocidal regime as well as its current national building cause. They underscored the need to deepen the countries’ good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive collaboration, and long lasting relations.

Hun Sen said it is necessary to educate the younger generations on fostering such ties and to spare no effort in completing the demarcation and marker planting on the mainland and solving the issue of the legal status for the people of the Vietnamese origin in Cambodia.

On August 3 and 4, the Vietnamese delegation is scheduled to visit and present gifts to Cambodians, including those of Vietnamese origin, residing in Cambodia's northwest provinces./.