Vietnam marks victory of southwest border defence war

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the ceremony in Hanoi on January 4 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the victory of the southwest border defence war and the joint victory on January 7 of Vietnam and Cambodia over the genocidal regime was held in Hanoi on January 4 with the participation of high-ranking leaders of the two countries.

The event was organised by the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the State, and the Government in conjunction with the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that the historic victory on January 7, 1979 was a joint victory of the peoples of both countries, as well as of the progressive people across the world.

For Vietnam, the victory of the southwest border defence war once again affirmed the will and strength of the Vietnamese people, while demonstrating the noble international spirit, the traditional fraternal and time-honoured relationship, and the pure and wholehearted help from the Vietnamese Party, State, armies and people to the Cambodian people.

The joint victory on January 7, 1979 completely eliminated the genocidal regime, helping revive the Cambodian nation and people as well as opening up a new era of independence, freedom, peace, reconciliation, development, and prosperity for Cambodia, he said.

PM Phuc noted that after years at trial with hundreds of thousands of collected documents and pieces of evidence, on November 16, 2018, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) under the auspices of the United Nations officially sentenced the two most senior surviving leaders of the former Polpot regime to life in prison for committing genocide.

The judgment returns justice to innocent victims who were massacred by the Pol Pot regime, and affirmed the bright just as well as impartial and pure support of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia, he stressed.

Many monuments commemorating Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts and Cambodian soldiers and people were built by the two Governments in both Vietnam and Cambodia, PM Phuc said, adding that they have become beautiful symbols of the close and unshakable friendship between the two nations.

By now, under the reign of the Cambodian King and the leadership of Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), the country has grown strong with political security, social order, and safety well maintained and its economy growing ceaselessly. Cambodia’s role and position has been constantly improved in the region and the world.

Vietnam and Cambodia are promoting their relationship under the motto of “good neighbours, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability”. The political relations between the two countries have been constantly strengthened, while their economic, trade, investment, and tourism ties have also been growing over time.

Other fields of cooperation – such as people-to-people exchange and culture, education-training, and health collaboration – have also witnessed active development.

According to PM Phuc, the border areas of the two countries which were heavily devastated in past wars have now become those of peace, friendship, cooperation, and mutual development.

Authorities of the two countries have worked closely to strictly manage the border line, and finished 84 percent of the land border demarcation and marker planting. They are determined to finalise the work as soon as possible.

Addressing the event, Standing Member of the CPP Central Committee and Vice President of the Senate of Cambodia Tep Ngorn emphasised that his country and Vietnam are good friends, neighbours, and partners.

The two countries have stepped into a new period in history by regaining independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, freedom, and progress; thus contributing to peace and security, cooperation, prosperity, economic development in the region and the world, he said.

The Cambodian official expressed his sincere gratitude to the Party, State, the VFF, the army and the people of Vietnam for their great sacrifices to save Cambodian people from genocide, contributing to the quest of peace for the country.

According to him, Vietnam’s great, timely and effective support has helped turn Cambodia from a country immersed in war, sufferings and devastation into a country of complete peace, national unity, and development in all areas.

He highlighted the significance of the exchange of the state-level and official visits between the two countries’ leaders in recent years, stating that they have contributed to deepening the traditional solidarity, friendship, and cooperation.

The bilateral relations are represented by achievements in all fields, from politics and military to economic, social, cultural, and scientific cooperation, he said.

The trade, investment, and tourism cooperation between the two countries are increasingly promoted; while the two sides have devised many effective solutions to border-related issues, especially as the work in border demarcation and marker planting is nearly finished, Tep Ngorn said.

These factors have helped create a good environment for maintaining peace and stability, while promoting economic growth and poverty reduction in both nations, he affirmed.

He took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Party, State, front and people who have always given their physical and ideological support to the development of human resources and infrastructure construction in Cambodia.

He affirmed that the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the southwest border defence war and the joint victory is very significant in further promoting the solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between his country and Vietnam. –VNA

VNA