The Vietnam-Cambodia legislative friendship conference concluded in Ho Chi Minh City on August 23 with the issue of a joint communique of the Vietnamese and Cambodian National Assemblies.

The one-day event, co-chaired by Vietnamese NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and his Cambodian counterpart Heng Samrin, is one of a series of activities to mark the 45 th anniversary of Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic ties and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year 2012.

In opening the conference, NA Chairman Hung said this is vivid evidence reflecting the two States’ determination to foster and develop their solidarity, friendship and cooperation for development in all fields.

He said he believes the conference will be an important historical milestone, further deepening the development of the cooperative ties between the two legislative bodies and the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, under the motto “good neighbours, traditional friendship, comprehensive and long-term sustainable cooperation” and jointly building an ASEAN of solidarity, strength, mutual respect and support, for the common goal of peace, security, cooperation and development.

For his part, Heng Samrin said the conference is a political event of profound significance and constitutes a vivid manifestation of the solidarity, close friendship and firm and long-term cooperation between the two peoples.

He took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Party, State and people for their great assistance to Cambodia .

He said he is happy with the growing traditional friendship and cooperative ties with Vietnam . “ Cambodia always sees Vietnam as a good neighbour, a good friend, a good brother and a good partner,” he said.

Delegates to the event talked about the relationship and cooperation between the two countries, legislative bodies, as well as the relationship between the People’s Councils and the NA delegations of localities sharing the common border line.

The conference affirmed the two legislative bodies’ commitment to joining governments and peoples of the ASEAN member nations in building an ASEAN of solidarity, strength, mutual respect and support, for the common goal of peace, security, cooperation and development.

The Vietnamese NA and the Cambodian NA and Senate supported the two Governments’ stance on further beefing up bilateral cooperation and the exchange of views on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

The conference agreed to better implement cooperation agreements signed between the two NAs on July 22, 2012 in Hanoi, maintain the exchange of high-ranking delegations, further accelerate activities of the two countries’ friendship parliamentarians groups, and closely cooperate in international and regional inter-parliamentary forums and jointly monitor the implementation of economic, social, cultural and educational cooperation agreements.

Prior to the meeting, the two legislative leaders and other participants cut the ribbon to kick off a photo exhibition on the relationship between the two countries and their legislative bodies. The exhibition is organised by the Vietnam News Agency.

Later the same day, NA Chairman Hung and his Cambodian counterpart visited the Vietnam Rubber Research Institute and the Khai Hoan Company under the Vietnam Rubber Group, in the southern province of Binh Duong.-VNA