Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Prak Sokhonn arrived in Viet Nam earlier the same day to co-chair the 20^th meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, and Scientific-Technological Cooperation from March 21-22.

Son congratulated Cambodia on its outstanding achievements in internal and external affairs over the past years, including the successful organisation of commune/ward council elections for the fifth tenure in June 2022 and assumption of the Chairmanship of ASEAN and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) last year.

Lauding Viet Nam for supporting Cambodia in its role as the ASEAN Chair 2022, the Cambodian Deputy PM vowed to constantly strengthen good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation between the two countries. He congratulated Viet Nam on its important achievements in socio-economic development, with an economic growth of over 8% last year.

The two sides agreed to facilitate high-level visits, continue upholding the effectiveness of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, implement the joint statements and cooperation agreements between the two Parties and Governments, step up connectivity between the two economies, enhance locality-to-locality cooperation, speed up the demarcation and border marker planting of the remaining 16% of the border line, toward building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development between the two countries.

At the talks (Photo: Tuan Anh)

They highly valued the close coordination between the two ministries in promoting relationship between the two nations and promised to hold the eighth political consultation at the deputy ministerial level in Cambodia at a suitable time this year.

On regional and global cooperation, both sides underlined their commitment to working closely together to strengthen solidarity, unity and the central role of ASEAN, as well as bolster collaboration between the bloc and and its partners.

Regarding the East Sea issue, they affirmed the importance of maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region, ensuring freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, settling disputes via peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), toward reaching an effective and practical Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

Son suggested the Cambodian official continue offering support to Cambodians of the Vietnamese origin to settle down and integrate into the host country, serving as a friendship bridge between the two countries.

He asked the Cambodian side to jointly deal with cases in which Vietnamese citizens are scammed and forced to work illegally in several foreign-owned entertainment businesses in Cambodia.

The guest affirmed that Cambodia will continue offering fair treatment to the people of the Vietnamese origin, like those from other countries./.