Following an agreement reached at the 6^th session in February 2004 in Ho Chi Minh City, the 7^th session of the Vietnam - Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation (MCECSC) was convened in Phnom Penh from 21^st to 22^nd February 2005. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien, Foreign Affairs Minister and Chairman of the Sub-Committee and joined by Deputy Ministers of Planning and Investment, Transportation, Industry, Natural Resources and Environment, Deputy Governor of the State Bank and other high-level officials from related branches and sectors. The Cambodian delegation was led by Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cambodian Sub-Committee's Chairman. Mr. Nguyen Trac Toan, Vietnamese Chargé d'Affairs to Cambodia and Mr. Long Kem, Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam also participated in this session.

During his stay in Cambodia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dy Nien paid an audience to King Norodom Sihamoni and a courtesy call to Prime Minister Samdech Hunsen.

The 7^th session of the Vietnam - Cambodia Joint Committee took place in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding. The two sides informed each other of their country's social - economic situation. The Vietnamese side congratulated Cambodia on having selected a new King, establishing the 3^rd National Assembly and Government and becoming an official member of the World Trade Organization and ASEM, as well as other economic and social achievements. The Cambodian side congratulated Vietnam on recent great socio-economic development achievements, especially the successful hosting of the Fifth Asia-Europe Meeting in Hanoi in October 2004.

At the session, the two sides reviewed the implementation of agreements reached at the 6^th session of Joint Committee. The two sides noted with satisfaction that the cooperative relationship between the two countries has been developed both in scope and in depth, bringing about practical benefits for both countries. The two sides exchanged a wide range of issues on the directions and concrete steps to enhance the mutually beneficial cooperation in education and training, national defense and security, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, natural resources and environment, hydro-meteorology, industry and energy, trade and investment, transportation and public works, post and telecommunication and IT, civil aviation, tourism, banking, labor, public health, customs and other fields. The two sides agreed to resume the talks of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Border Issues to address outstanding matters on borders and territory and soon conduct border demarcation and marker planting with a view to ensuring and promoting exchanges of trade and people between the two countries. The two sides expressed their determination to coordinate with Laos in the program of building Vietnam - Cambodia - Laos Development Triangle and work closely with each other in the frameworks of regional and sub-regional cooperation.

The two sides agreed that the result and agreements reached at this session as well as the implementation of those agreements will help further strengthen the traditional relations of friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries in the interest of socio-economic development for their people and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

At the end of the session, Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien and Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong signed the Minute on the Agreements of the session. Also on the occasion, the State Bank of Vietnam and the National Bank of Cambodia signed the Agreement on Terms of Payment.

As agreed, the 8^th session of the Joint Committee of the two countries would be held in Vietnam in early 2006./.