Hanoi (VNA) – The offiඣcial visit toVietnam from October 4 – 5 by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha SenaPadei Techo Hun Sen is expected to continue driving the bilateral relationsforward in the coming time.

It will be the second trip to Vietnam by PM HunSen within one year since Cambodia set up its sixth-tenure government inSeptember 2018. With the diplomatic relationship founded on June24, 1967, the two neighbouring countries boast a long-standing solidarity andfriendship which have been nurtured by generations of their leaders andpeoples.

Fruitfulcooperation in multiple spheres

Many strides have been recorded in bilateralcooperation in recent years.  Delegation exchanges have been maintained at alllevels to further enhance mutual trust between the countries’ leaders andpeoples.  Since the sixth general election and theformation of the new government in Cambodia, many high-raking visits have been exchanged.They include the trips to Cambodia by Party General Secretary and PresidentNguyen Phu Trong (February 25 – 26, 2019) and National Assembly ChairwomanNguyen Thi Kim Ngan (January 2019). Meanwhile, Vietnam also welcomed CambodianKing Norodom Sihamoni (December 19 – 21, 2018), PM Hun Sen (December 6 – 8,2018), and National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin (May 28 – 30, 2019). The two PMs have also frequently met each otherat multilateral forums. Under security – defence cooperation plans,Vietnam and Cambodia have held annual defence policy dialogues; regularlyexchanged high-ranking defence delegations between their military regions,services and units; and coordinated well in the search for and repatriation ofremains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Cambodia. They have also organisedborder friendship exchanges and joint patrols at sea. Besides, security cooperation has been enhancedwith stronger ties in fighting crimes and keeping stability, security and orderin border areas. The two countries have also worked closelytogether at international and regional forums, including the Cambodia – Laos –Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle, the Cambodia – Laos – Myanmar – Vietnam(CLMV) cooperation, the Ayeyawady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic CooperationStrategy (ACMECS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia– Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the United Nations, thus helping to improve eachcountry’s prestige and stature in the region and the world. Over the past years, bilateral trade has been onthe rise, surpassing 4.7 billion USD in 2018 (up 24 percent year on year) and 3billion USD in the first eight months of 2019. Vietnam is among the five largest foreigninvestors in Cambodia with more than 200 projects worth over 3 billion USD,mainly in rubber plantation, telecom, finance, banking and energy. The two sides inked a double taxation avoidanceagreement, another on promoting bilateral economic and trade ties for2019-2020, a strategy for transport cooperation with a vision to 2030, and adeal revising the road and waterway transport agreements. Additionally, Vietnam has provided hundreds ofscholarships in different fields for Cambodia each year. The two sides havealso worked together to create conditions for Cambodian people to receivehealth examination and treatment in Vietnam with medical fees similar tolocals’. About 800,000 Vietnamese people visited Cambodiain 2017, and this figure reached 835,000 in 2018, making Vietnam the secondbiggest source of foreign tourists of the country.

Buildingpeaceful border of long-lasting stability

Vietnam and Cambodia share about 1,245km of landborder. For the last nearly 50 years, they have organised many rounds of talksand signed a number of legal documents to recognise the achievements in thesettlement of border issues, thereby helping to build a peaceful border oflong-lasting stability, strengthen solidarity and friendship, and facilitateborder residents’ lives. By December 2018, they had built 315 of the 371main border markers. As of September 2019, they had completed field borderdemarcation and compiled records on 1,045km of borderline.  So far, about 84 percent of the borderdemarcation and border marker planting workload has been completed. The official visit by PM Hun Sen takes placeamidst the countries’ flourishing relations. It will help reiterate Vietnam’sforeign policy of independence, self-reliance and diversification andmultilateralisation of foreign relations, with high priority given to the soundneighbourliness, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation withCambodia. The trip is also set to help reinforce connections in economy, trade,investment and border issues./.