Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attends the cremation of the Cambodian Supreme Patriarch.

On February 4th, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, along with numerous international guests, attended the cremation ceremony of Cambodian King Father Norodom Sihanouk at the crematorium in Phnom Penh.

Attending the ceremony on the Vietnamese side were Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai; Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh; Minister and Head of the Government Office Vu Duc Dam, along with leaders of several central ministries and agencies.

On behalf of the Party, State, and people of Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his profound sorrow over the passing of King Father Norodom Sihanouk, a great and close friend of the Vietnamese people; emphasizing that this is a great loss for Cambodia and its people; Vietnam has lost a great and close friend who had been closely associated with the Vietnamese people during difficult and challenging times.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung emphasized that the Vietnamese people will never forget the invaluable support and contributions of King Father Norodom Sihanouk to the struggle for independence and national reunification. He also affirmed that Vietnam will do its utmost, together with King Norodom Sihamoni, the leaders and people of Cambodia, to further strengthen solidarity, preserve and promote the fine traditions of relations between the two countries that King Father Norodom Sihanouk and generations of leaders and people of both countries have diligently cultivated.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited the NPK fertilizer production plant of Nam Sao Group and worked with the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visits Five Star International Fertilizer Company in Cambodia. (Photo: Duc Tam/VNA)

According to a report by the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia, bilateral trade reached US$3.3 billion in 2012, an 18% increase compared to 2011. To date, Vietnam has 112 licensed investment projects in Cambodia with a total capital of nearly US$2.5 billion, focusing on sectors such as rubber cultivation; mining; exploration, search and trading of oil and gas products; power generation; telecommunications; finance and banking… Many large-scale projects have been implemented quite smoothly, some have become operational and have made practical contributions to socio-economic development and friendly cooperative relations between the two countries.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highly appreciated the efforts of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia in promoting business and investment cooperation in Cambodia, especially in the fields of rubber cultivation, telecommunications, aviation, banking, tourism, and agriculture... bringing practical economic and social benefits to the people of both countries, making an important contribution to the "good neighborly relations, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability" agreed upon by the high-level leaders of the two countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his hope that Vietnamese businesses would continue to increase investment in Cambodia, making positive contributions to the overall development of both countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also stated that he would discuss the matter with the Cambodian side and direct relevant Vietnamese agencies to consider and resolve difficulties and create favorable conditions for businesses to promote investment cooperation with Cambodia.

Later that evening, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the high-level Vietnamese delegation departed Phnom Penh for home.

According to (VNA) - LT