Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (L) meets Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Jakarta, Indonesia, February 3, 2023 - Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At their meeting, Bui and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn pledged to accelerate negotiations to complete the remaining 16 percent of the land border demarcation and marker planting to build a shared borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development.

Both sides emphasized the need to enhance close coordination at regional and international forums as well as sub-regional mechanisms, and support each other's candidacies to multilateral organizations.

Prak Sokhonn suggested both nations promote economic-trade cooperation, asserting that Cambodia would continue to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese investors to do business in Cambodia.

Bui took the occasion to invite Prak Sokhonn to pay an official visit to Viet Nam and co-chair the 20th Joint Commission meeting in the first quarter of 2023.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) meets Philippine counterpart Enrique A. Manalo, Jakarta, Indonesia, February 3, 2023 - Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs*

Vietnamese Foreign Minister and his Philippine counterpart Enrique A. Manalo vowed to enhance mutual high-level visits and meetings and urge their relevant agencies to continue bilateral cooperation mechanisms interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the organization of the 10th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at the ministerial level.

Minister Manalo proposed the two sides expand cooperation in the fields of climate change, green growth, circular economy, digital transformation, and e-commerce.

Bui suggested the two sides lift trade barriers on each other's goods, and open the market for the two countries' key export products while fully tapping advantages brought by free trade agreements (FTAs) that both nations are joining, towards raising their two-way trade to US$10 billion.

The two ministers also agreed to further expand cooperation in naval and coast guard, search and rescue, and response to oil spills at sea, as well as in marine environment protection and scientific research; and soon organize the 10th meeting of the joint working group on sea and ocean affairs.

They vowed to strengthen coordination and actively support each other at international and regional organizations and forums, especially the United Nations and ASEAN, and promote solidarity and maintain ASEAN's central role in major issues related to security and interests of each country and the region.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea and settling disputes on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

They pledged to foster collaboration with other ASEAN countries in effectively implementing the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and promoting the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) meets Malaysian FM Dato's Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, Jakarta, Indonesia, February 3, 2023 - Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

* Bui and Malaysian FM Dato's Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir consented to continue promoting the implementation of cooperation programs approved by the two countries' senior leaders within the framework of the action plan of the 2021-2025 Strategic Partnership, particularly in economic, trade and investment cooperation with a view to reaching the bilateral trade worth US$18 billion by 2025.  

They affirmed the two countries' resolve to strengthen coordination and support each other at regional and international forums, especially ensuring ASEAN's common stance in the East Sea issue and the full implementation of the DOC, and soon reaching a practical and effective COC in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) meets Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, Jakarta, Indonesia, February 3, 2023 - Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

* The Vietnamese Foreign Minister underlined that Viet Nam will work with other ASEAN member states to discuss, agree on processes, procedures and necessary measures to support Timor Leste to become an official member of the bloc soon, during his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno.

The two sides committed to promoteing the exchange of delegations at all levels and soon holding the first meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at the ministerial level as agreed in the Framework Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation in April 2010.

They voiced their support for promoting negotiations and signing of new agreements in order to boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno asserted to bolster cooperation with the Vietnamese side not only in the bilateral channels but also within ASEAN.

The occasion, Foreign Minister Bui also had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Brunei to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations with these countries.