Vietnam-Cambodia friendship like the Mekong River never runs dry

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan: "I wish the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship will be like the Mekong River that never dries up.

On the morning of June 24, at the Opera House, Hanoi, the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cambodia took place.

Ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic relations at Hanoi Opera House

Attending the ceremony were President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samech Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; also attending were former General Secretaries Le Kha Phieu and Nong Duc Manh; Former President of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung; Deputy Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, President of the Cambodia - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, MP, Ms. Men Sam An; Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the National Steering Committee for the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Year 2017 Pham Binh Minh; Politburo member, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai.

In her speech at the ceremony, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan emphasized that 50 years ago today, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations. This was a momentous event, marking a new page in the history of the two countries' relations. In a telegram sent to Cambodian Head of State Norodom Sihanouk on June 23, 1967, President Ho Chi Minh stated: "The establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries is a brilliant manifestation of the close friendship and solidarity in fighting. It is a historic event in the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia, a positive factor in maintaining peace in Indochina and Southeast Asia."

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaks at the ceremony

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that in recent years, the relationship between the two countries has continuously developed, bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries, actively contributing to peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world. The political relationship between the two countries continues to develop well. High-ranking leaders of the two countries regularly visit each other; cooperation between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries with practical cooperation mechanisms have been established and implemented more and more effectively, bringing cooperation in all fields to an increasingly deep level.

“Cooperation between the two National Assemblies continues to be consolidated and enhanced in the fields of legislation, supervision and coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums. People's diplomatic activities of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Fatherland, the Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, the Friendship Association, and mass organizations of the two countries have been vibrant and rich in both content and form, contributing to raising the understanding of the people, especially the younger generation, about the tradition of solidarity, friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the two nations and peoples,” National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan emphasized.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan also said that economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has developed rapidly and achieved encouraging results. The two countries' trade turnover has averaged about 3 billion USD/year in recent years. The two sides are striving to increase bilateral turnover to 5 billion USD in the coming years.

Over the years, Vietnam has always been the country with the largest number of tourists in Cambodia. Vietnamese tourists to Cambodia in 2016 reached 960,000, accounting for 19% of the total number of international visitors to Cambodia. In 2016, Cambodian visitors to Vietnam reached 210,000, ranking 13th among the markets with visitors to Vietnam. Investment and business activities of Vietnamese enterprises in Cambodia are highly appreciated by Cambodian leaders, making a positive contribution to social security and prosperous development of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Cooperation in the fields of training, culture, health, and telecommunications has also been focused on and promoted. Every year, Vietnam grants hundreds of long-term scholarships to Cambodian students to study in Vietnam. Cambodia also helps train Vietnamese students at the request of Vietnamese ministries, branches, and localities. The National Assembly Chairman hopes that these will be the future leaders of each nation and will be bridges connecting solidarity, friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the future.

In the spirit of humanity, Vietnam regularly organizes volunteer medical teams to examine, treat and provide free medicine to the Cambodian people; Cambodian patients who come to Vietnam for examination and treatment enjoy the same medical examination and treatment fees as Vietnamese people.

In the process of implementing an open foreign policy, multilateralizing and diversifying international relations, the two countries have closely coordinated with each other at international and regional forums such as the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle (CLV), the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Quadrilateral Cooperation, the Ayeyawady-ChaoPhraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), ASEAN, AIPA, ASEM, APPF, APF, and the United Nations, contributing to enhancing the prestige and position of each country in the region and the world.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan emphasized that the Party, State and people of Vietnam warmly congratulate the great victories that the Cambodian people under the wise reign of King Norodom Sihamoni and the leadership of the Senate, National Assembly and Royal Government of Cambodia with the Cambodian People's Party as the core have achieved in recent years.

As a close neighbor of the Cambodian people, the Vietnamese people firmly believe that the Cambodian people will continue to gain even greater new achievements for the peaceful, stable and prosperous Kingdom of Cambodia.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan affirmed that despite the many changes in the world and regional situation, the two countries and peoples of Vietnam and Cambodia will continue to further strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation, fostering the increasingly good relationship, for the benefit of the people of Cambodia and Vietnam. This is not only our noble responsibility and duty today but also that of future generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan stated: “Nature has kindly bestowed the Mekong River flowing through the territories of the two countries, bringing silt to the vast rice fields on both banks, bringing fish and shrimp to nourish people, creating a prosperous life for the people of the two countries. That river has also continuously witnessed the close and inseparable relationship between the two nations. On this solemn occasion, I wish the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will be like the majestic Mekong River, never drying up and forever being the source of peace and prosperity for our two nations.”

President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin

Speaking at the ceremony, President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin affirmed that the organization of today's ceremony is a great historical event, showing that the traditional solidarity, friendship and good cooperation between the two countries has brought common benefits to the two peoples, especially in achieving peace, stability and prosperity.

This important political event is a good opportunity for the two countries to promote education and raise awareness among the youth, including today's and tomorrow's youth, to gain an increasingly deeper awareness of the importance and value of the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between our two countries, thereby jointly preserving and further cultivating this relationship to develop more sustainably.

Over the past 50 years, the cooperative relationship between the two countries within the framework of the Party, State, Government and National Assembly has been continuously consolidated and developed, reaching an unprecedented peak in history under the motto of “good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability” and respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The bilateral relationship and cooperation between the two countries have achieved many results in many fields of economy, society, culture, education, science and trade. An important historical achievement that the two countries have achieved together is that the work of demarcation and border marker planting between the two countries is nearly completed. This shows the real efforts and goodwill of the two countries in resolving the land border, to turn the Vietnam - Cambodia border into a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development for the well-being and stability of the people of the two countries.

The Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly emphasized that the two countries have a history of fighting together, sharing hardships, and overcoming many difficulties and challenges in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism, for the noble cause of freedom, peace and independence in each country.

He, as well as his colleagues and many Vietnamese soldier friends present at the commemoration ceremony, clearly remember the devastation that happened to Cambodia during the 1970s and the heroism of Vietnamese volunteer soldier friends who fought side by side with the Cambodian United Front for National Salvation in defeating the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

After the liberation on January 7, 1979, thanks to the strong support and assistance of the Vietnamese people and other friendly countries, Cambodia had the opportunity to restore, build and develop the country as it is today. This reality and heroism have been deeply engraved in the hearts of all Cambodian people and they can never forget.

On behalf of the Cambodian people, President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin deeply thanked the valuable support that the leaders of the Party, State and people of Vietnam have given to the Cambodian people in restoring and building the country to achieve the development as it is today, especially the valuable contributions and great sacrifices of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who performed their international duty to help liberate the Cambodian people from the genocidal regime of the Pol Pot genocidal group on January 7, 1979.

The President of the Cambodian National Assembly believes that the heroic examples in history, the solidarity, friendship, tradition and national construction of the previous and present leaders need to be preserved, cultivated, consolidated and further enhanced by the people of the two countries in the future to become increasingly better and more comprehensive./.

According to VOV