Vietnam and Cambodia must further strengthen solidarity, cooperation and mutual assistance to deserve the contributions and sacrifices of previous generations and meet the aspirations and interests of their people, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has stated.

Talking to the media on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (June 24), Son said that the celebration of the anniversary is an opportunity for the two countries' people to review the past journey so as to have deeper understanding and higher responsibility in preserving and nurturing the time-honoured bilateral friendship and solidarity.

He affirmed the past 55 years have witnessed an important development period in the Vietnam-Cambodia relations, marked by unforgettable historical events when the two countries united to support each other in the struggles for national independence from the colonial regime, and help Cambodia overthrow the Pol Pot genocidal regime, as well as in the building and development cause of each country.

Regarding the current bilateral relations, the minister said that political ties continue to develop well. The two sides have maintained high-level contacts and exchanges and bilateral cooperation mechanisms in all channels, even during the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years.

Cooperation in the field of security and defence has been strengthened. The two sides have firmly adhered to the principle of not allowing any hostile force to use one's territory to harm the security and interests of the other.

On the basis of signed treaties and agreements, the two countries’ agencies, authorities and local people in border areas have made efforts to build a shared border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development. The sides signed two legal documents recognising the completion of 84% of the demarcation and marker planting of their shared border in 2019, and are negotiating to handle the remaining 16%.

The bilateral economic, trade and investment relations have also posted encouraging results. Two-way trade hit 9.54 billion USD last year, up 79.1% year-on-year, and reached 5.44% in the first five months of 2022, up 18.7% year-on-year. Vietnam is running 188 valid investment projects worth 2.8 billion USD in Cambodia, ranking first in ASEAN and among Top 5 in the world in terms of investment in the country, Son stated.

In the first three months of 2022, over 46,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Cambodia, making Vietnam rank first in terms of the number of visitors to the nation.

The two countries’ leaders have also committed to creating favourable conditions for one’s citizens living in the other’s territory, in accordance with their laws, and the spirit of friendly neighbourliness, he added.