As close neighbours, Vietnam and Cambodia have established along-standing friendship. The traditional friendship and cooperationhave been developing in an in-depth and comprehensive manner, especiallyafter both sides established their diplomatic ties in 1967.
Inan article to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties betweenVietnam and Cambodia (June 24), Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minhdescribed the past 45 years as a special period in the history ofVietnam-Cambodia relations, saying the two countries’ people stoodshoulder to shoulder to cooperate and assist each other in theirrespective causes of national liberation, freedom, independence, and thepursuit of happiness and prosperity.
He recalledthe Cambodian Revolution’s resounding victory on January 7, 1979,supported by volunteer Vietnamese soldiers and experts, who helpedCambodians escape the genocidal Pol Pot regime and begin to rebuild thecountry.
The victory helped the Cambodian people open an era ofindependence, peace, freedom and development for the country as well asfacilitate the bilateral friendship and cooperation to develop into anew stage of closeness and mutual trust, he said.
Relations between Vietnam and Cambodia entered into a new periodafter the 1991 Paris Peace Accord and the 1993 General Elections inCambodia .
The two countries have maintained regular exchangesof high-level and local visits, showing their resolve to work closelytogether to cement their bilateral relationship, which they haveconsidered an important element behind the success of each country’snational construction and defence.
Reciprocalhigh-level visits, especially the Vietnam visit by King NorodomSihamoni in June 2010, and the Cambodia visits by President NguyenMinh Triet in August 2010 and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongin December 2011 were very significant, bringing bilateral relations to anew level, tightening the fine neighbourliness, solidarity, friendshipand comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.
On this occasion, the two countries’ senior leaders agreed to name 2012 as the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year.
King-father Norodom Sihanouk said “ Cambodia and Vietnam areinseparable and this valuable relationship should be enhanced along withthe national development and construction of both countries”, theMinister recalled.
He noted that the two countrieshave seen a rapid growth in economic, trade and investment cooperation.Two-way trade increased sharply from just 130-150 million USD a year inthe 1997-1999 period to 1.2 billion USD in 2007, 1.6 billion USD in 2008and 2.8 billion USD in 2011. Both countries are targeting to raisetheir trade value to 5 billion USD in the next five years.
Currently, Vietnam has more than 100 investment projects operatingin Cambodia with a total capital of more than 2.2 billion USD. Theseprojects focus on telecommunications, banking, energy, rubber planting,and agricultural product processing.
Relevantagencies of the two countries are speeding up border demarcation andlandmark planting to complete the work on schedule.
Besides, the two countries have provided mutual support and assistanceat regional and international forums such as the Cambodia-Laos andVietnam (CLV) and Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) cooperationmechanisms, the Ayeyarwaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic CooperationStrategy (ACMECS), the Greater Mekong Sub-region, the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and theUnited Nations.
Cambodia now takes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2012 and Vietnam continues help Cambodia fulfil this task, said Minh.
Cooperationbetween the Vietnam Foreign Ministry and the Cambodian Ministry ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation have been also developing.They have conducted their third exchange programme and agreed tomaintain the tradition, the FM added.
With their tradition ofsolidarity, friendship and cooperation and impartially mutualassistance, bilateral ties will have more potential to develop in astrong and comprehensive manner on a new height, Minister Minh affirmed.
“Based on the fundamental advantages of the two peoples’ closeties and various cooperation mechanisms as well as the senior leaders’resolve and efforts by ministries, agencies, localities and people, westrongly believe that the fine neighbourliness, traditional friendshipand comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will continuedevelop to a new plane, benefiting both peoples and contributing topeace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and theworld,” he said.-VNA
Inan article to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties betweenVietnam and Cambodia (June 24), Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minhdescribed the past 45 years as a special period in the history ofVietnam-Cambodia relations, saying the two countries’ people stoodshoulder to shoulder to cooperate and assist each other in theirrespective causes of national liberation, freedom, independence, and thepursuit of happiness and prosperity.
He recalledthe Cambodian Revolution’s resounding victory on January 7, 1979,supported by volunteer Vietnamese soldiers and experts, who helpedCambodians escape the genocidal Pol Pot regime and begin to rebuild thecountry.
The victory helped the Cambodian people open an era ofindependence, peace, freedom and development for the country as well asfacilitate the bilateral friendship and cooperation to develop into anew stage of closeness and mutual trust, he said.
Relations between Vietnam and Cambodia entered into a new periodafter the 1991 Paris Peace Accord and the 1993 General Elections inCambodia .
The two countries have maintained regular exchangesof high-level and local visits, showing their resolve to work closelytogether to cement their bilateral relationship, which they haveconsidered an important element behind the success of each country’snational construction and defence.
Reciprocalhigh-level visits, especially the Vietnam visit by King NorodomSihamoni in June 2010, and the Cambodia visits by President NguyenMinh Triet in August 2010 and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongin December 2011 were very significant, bringing bilateral relations to anew level, tightening the fine neighbourliness, solidarity, friendshipand comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.
On this occasion, the two countries’ senior leaders agreed to name 2012 as the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year.
King-father Norodom Sihanouk said “ Cambodia and Vietnam areinseparable and this valuable relationship should be enhanced along withthe national development and construction of both countries”, theMinister recalled.
He noted that the two countrieshave seen a rapid growth in economic, trade and investment cooperation.Two-way trade increased sharply from just 130-150 million USD a year inthe 1997-1999 period to 1.2 billion USD in 2007, 1.6 billion USD in 2008and 2.8 billion USD in 2011. Both countries are targeting to raisetheir trade value to 5 billion USD in the next five years.
Currently, Vietnam has more than 100 investment projects operatingin Cambodia with a total capital of more than 2.2 billion USD. Theseprojects focus on telecommunications, banking, energy, rubber planting,and agricultural product processing.
Relevantagencies of the two countries are speeding up border demarcation andlandmark planting to complete the work on schedule.
Besides, the two countries have provided mutual support and assistanceat regional and international forums such as the Cambodia-Laos andVietnam (CLV) and Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) cooperationmechanisms, the Ayeyarwaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic CooperationStrategy (ACMECS), the Greater Mekong Sub-region, the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and theUnited Nations.
Cambodia now takes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2012 and Vietnam continues help Cambodia fulfil this task, said Minh.
Cooperationbetween the Vietnam Foreign Ministry and the Cambodian Ministry ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation have been also developing.They have conducted their third exchange programme and agreed tomaintain the tradition, the FM added.
With their tradition ofsolidarity, friendship and cooperation and impartially mutualassistance, bilateral ties will have more potential to develop in astrong and comprehensive manner on a new height, Minister Minh affirmed.
“Based on the fundamental advantages of the two peoples’ closeties and various cooperation mechanisms as well as the senior leaders’resolve and efforts by ministries, agencies, localities and people, westrongly believe that the fine neighbourliness, traditional friendshipand comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will continuedevelop to a new plane, benefiting both peoples and contributing topeace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and theworld,” he said.-VNA
