Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds talks with Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

At the talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his joy at his first official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia as the head of the Vietnamese Government; and thanked Cambodia for giving the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation a warm and sincere welcome.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated the Cambodian Government and people for quickly controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering the economy and stabilizing social security; wished Cambodia to successfully organize the 7th National Assembly election in 2023, continuing to build a peaceful, stable, prosperous and developed Cambodia.

Appreciating the contributions and positive results achieved by Cambodia as ASEAN Chair 2022, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his belief that Cambodia will successfully organize the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related Summits in Phnom Penh in the coming days.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated the Cambodian Government and people for quickly controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering the economy and stabilizing social security. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Hun Sen warmly welcomed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on his official visit to Cambodia, emphasizing that the visit is of great significance in the year marking the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Hun Sen congratulated Vietnam on its great and comprehensive achievements in national construction, innovation and development, as well as its impressive results in preventing and combating the COVID-19 pandemic, and in post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development; and congratulated Vietnam on its election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, demonstrating its increasingly high international status.

Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his confidence and wished the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, to continue to gain many new victories, towards the goal of turning Vietnam into a developing country with modern industry and high middle income by 2030 and a developed country with high income by 2045.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the development of Vietnam-Cambodia relations in recent times. Overcoming difficulties and obstacles caused by the pandemic, the political and diplomatic relations between the two countries have been continuously consolidated, becoming increasingly close and trustworthy through maintaining regular high-level contacts and exchanges on all channels, and effectively promoting bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Appreciating the two countries' successful coordination in organizing many meaningful commemorative activities within the framework of the "Vietnam - Cambodia, Cambodia - Vietnam Friendship Year 2022", the two Prime Ministers affirmed their determination to further consolidate and develop the relationship.Good neighbors, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainabilitybetween Vietnam and Cambodia, bringing bilateral cooperation increasingly deeper, more substantial and more effective, considering it an inevitable objective requirement for both countries.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labor. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen defense and security cooperation, emphasizing the principle of not allowing any hostile force to use the territory of one country to harm the security and interests of the other; affirming to coordinate effectively implementing existing agreements and mechanisms to maintain political stability, security, order and social safety in each country, preventing cross-border crimes such as human trafficking, drug transportation and smuggling, promoting cooperation in ensuring cyber security, protecting citizens... The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to Cambodian authorities for their close coordination with Vietnam in the past time in successfully rescuing many Vietnamese citizens who were defrauded and brokered to work illegally in Cambodia, and suggested that the two sides continue to coordinate closely to move towards a definitive resolution of this issue.

The two sides also agreed to continue joint efforts to search for, collect and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia and to promote the repatriation of the remains of soldiers of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation from Vietnam to Cambodia.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Regarding economic cooperation, both sides were pleased that bilateral trade and investment have become a bright spot in bilateral relations recently. Two-way trade turnover in 2021 reached over 9.5 billion USD, an increase of nearly 80% compared to 2020; turnover in the first 9 months of 2022 reached 8.45 billion USD, an increase of 16.7% over the same period in 2021, with a relatively balanced trade balance. To date, Vietnam has 198 valid investment projects in Cambodia with a total registered capital of 2.92 billion USD, ranking first in ASEAN and among the top 5 countries with the largest investments in Cambodia.

The two sides agreed to promote connectivity between the two economies, both in terms of hard infrastructure as well as institutions and policies; prioritize cooperation in digital transformation between state management agencies as well as between enterprises of the two countries; support each other in building independent and self-reliant economies in each country, while ensuring deep and effective international integration.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The two Prime Ministers also emphasized the importance of border trade and cooperation in developing border economic areas and border gate economy; welcomed the efforts of both sides to complete the Vietnam - Cambodia Border Trade Agreement to sign on the occasion of this visit. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the Cambodian Government to create more favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest and do business stably and long-term in Cambodia on the basis of mutual benefit.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Regarding border work, the two sides agreed to respect and fully implement border treaties signed between the two countries, continue to promote negotiations, and jointly seek satisfactory solutions for the 16% of the land border that has not been demarcated; at the same time, resolve arising issues in the spirit of solidarity and friendship, contributing to building a peaceful, stable, cooperative and developing Vietnam-Cambodia border.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The two Prime Ministers also agreed to continue promoting cooperation in the fields of education and training, transportation, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, information and communications, finance and banking, culture, tourism, people-to-people exchange, and sports.

Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked Vietnam for continuing to provide scholarships for many Cambodian students to study in Vietnam; and appreciated the rapid increase in the number of tourists from the two countries visiting each other after the reopening.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of documents between the two countries. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam is ready to continue sharing experiences and supporting Cambodia to successfully organize the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Cambodia in 2023.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked and hoped that the Cambodian side would continue to pay attention and create more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and work stably and legally in Cambodia, integrate and make positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the host country, contributing to connecting and tightening the friendly neighborly relations between the two nations.

The two Prime Ministers spent time discussing a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern; emphasizing that in the context of the complicated and unpredictable developments in the world and region, Vietnam and Cambodia need to strengthen coordination and support each other at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN and Mekong sub-regional cooperation mechanisms; actively contribute to strengthening solidarity, unity and promoting the central role of ASEAN; and actively contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The two sides emphasized the importance of ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, enhancing trust building, not threatening or using force, complying with international law, resolving disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); supporting parties to seriously and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as promoting the completion of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully invited Prime Minister Hun Sen to pay an official visit to Vietnam at the earliest possible time. Prime Minister Hun Sen happily accepted the invitation and suggested that the two sides coordinate to arrange the visit through diplomatic channels.

Immediately after the talks, the two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing ceremony of 11 documents between the two countries, including: (i) Memorandum of Understanding on types and quantity of commercial vehicles for the implementation of the Agreement and Protocol on road transport; (ii) Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of agriculture; (iii) Border Trade Agreement; (iv) Agreement on administrative cooperation within the framework of Article 56(1)(a) of Regulation 2015/2446 of 28 July 2015 supplementing Regulation No. 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on detailed rules for the implementation of certain provisions of the Customs Law of the European Union on bicycle components and spare parts; (v) Agreement on administrative cooperation under section 18(3)(B) of the Customs Regulation 2020 (Origin of taxable goods: Preferential trade program); (vi) Cooperation agreement on radio and television cooperation for the period 2022-2025; (vii) Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of post, telecommunications, information technology and digital transformation; (viii) Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation between the Ethnic Committee of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Cults and Religions of the Kingdom of Cambodia; (ix) Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labor; (x) Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of financial innovation and payment systems; (xi) Memorandum of Understanding between Viettel Cambodia Company and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia./.