Updated June, 25 2012
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (left) and Cambodian PM Hun Sen inaugurate landmark 314 on the border line between Viet Nam and Cambodia.—VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam |
The marker is between My Duc commune, Ha Tien
town, in the southern province of Kien Giang, and Russey Srok Khang Lech
commune, Kampong Trach district, in the Cambodian province of Kampot.
This is the second time Prime Minister Nguyen Tan
Dung and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, have attended the
inauguration of land border markers. They showed the resolve and efforts
by both governments in implementing treaties, agreements and deals on
border and territorial work, helping the two sides complete all work on
border demarcation and marker planting.
Dung stressed the event marked a joint success of
the two nations in building a borderline of peace, friendship and
co-operation for development. It satisfied fundamental interest and
desire of both peoples as well as created a new momentum dynamic for the
two countries to early fulfil all work on land border demarcation and
marker planting, he said.
The inauguration also facilitated the exchange
and economic co-operation as well as created stability for people in
Kien Giang and Kampot provinces in particular and contributed to
promoting friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two
countries' border provinces in general.
Hun Sen said the inauguration of marker 314 was a
significant event. It satisfied both nations' desires in building a
borderline of peace, stability, co-operation and development as well as
contributed to promoting co-operation among countries in the Mekong
sub-region and in Southeast Asia.
He described recent achievements in border
demarcation and marker planting work as a new chapter in the history of
the two countries' relations.
Viet Nam and Cambodia have to date installed 287
border markers and completed demarcation on about 653km of borderline,
meeting 76 per cent and 51 per cent of the total work, respectively.
Diplomatic ties
Meanwhile, a meeting was held in Ha Noi yesterday to mark the 45th anniversary of Viet Nam-Cambodia diplomatic ties.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at
the event that over the past 45 years, both peoples had stood side by
side and assisted each other in resistance wars against imperialism for
national independence and recently in the cause of national
construction.
The Vietnamese and Cambodian peoples had embedded
in their minds the Cambodian Revolution's resounding victory on January
7, 1979, over the genocidal Pol Pot regime, a victory that had helped
Cambodia escape from the catastrophe of destruction and revive the
country, Phuc said.
Phuc said the two countries' relations have
turned to a new development step. With the aim of building a "good
neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive co-operation and
long-lasting stability", ties between the two countries had been
unceasingly consolidated and developed in all fields, bringing practical
benefits to the two peoples and making positive contributions to peace,
stability and co-operation in the region.
On behalf of the Cambodian government delegation,
Council of Ministers Secretary of State Sim Vanna stressed there had
been fine, long-lasting relations between the two countries even before
the official establishment of diplomatic ties.
They were nourishing the sound solidarity, traditional friendship and co-operation, he said.
Sim Vanna expressed his profound thanks to
Vietnamese volunteer soldiers for their valuable assistance while
standing side by side with the Cambodian Solidarity Front for National
Salvation in the struggle against the genocidal Khmer Rouge as well as
to the Vietnamese people for their support for Cambodia 's
socio-economic development.
He said he believed the close friendship and good
neighbourliness and mutual respect between the two countries would be
further consolidated and strongly developed, thus serving the two
nations' interests as well as maintaining peace, stability and
prosperity.
Investment co-operation
The third Viet Nam-Cambodia investment
co-operation conference was also held in Kien Giang under the joint
chairmanship of Prime Minister Dung and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun
Sen.
Dung said the Vietnamese Government has taken
measures to facilitate operations of businesses in Cambodia. Viet Nam
wanted the Cambodian Government and ministries to create further
conditions for Vietnamese firms investing and operating in Cambodia, he
said.
Dung suggested both sides continue to maintain
regular dialogue mechanisms between the two governments' agencies in
order to ease difficulties and remove obstacles for their businesses. It
would also tend to increase investment and business activities,
alongside accelerating investment promotion to help firms seek partners
and expand business.
For his part, Hun Sen stressed the significance
of the conference, saying he hoped it would contribute to new
opportunities in increasing and expanding economic-trade co-operation
between the two countries.
The leaders witnessed the signing of a protocol
to amend and supplement the 2001 Agreement on Investment Encouragement
and Protection between Viet Nam and Cambodia, creating a new legal basis
for stepping up co-operation and investment between the two countries.
Years of friendship
Viet Nam and Cambodia have a long-standing friendship, especially since they established their diplomatic ties in 1967.
Relations between them entered a new period after the 1991 Paris Peace Accord and the 1993 General Elections in Cambodia.
The two countries have maintained regular
exchanges of high-level and local visits, showing their resolve to work
closely together to cement their bilateral relationship, which they both
consider an important element behind the success of each country's
national construction and defence.
Reciprocal high-level visits, especially the Viet
Nam visit by King Norodom Sihamoni in June 2010, and the Cambodia
visits by the President Nguyen Minh Triet in August 2010 and Party
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in December 2011 were significant,
bringing bilateral relations to a new level and tightening the fine
neighbourliness, solidarity, friendship and comprehensive co-operation
between the two nations.
On that occasion, the two countries' senior leaders agreed to name 2012 as Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Year.
Two-way trade increased sharply from just
US$130-150 million a year between 1997 and 1999 to $1.2 billion in 2007,
$1.6 billion in 2008 and $2.8 billion in 2011. Both countries are
targeting to raise their annual trade value to $5 billion in the next
five years. Currently, Viet Nam has more than 100 investment projects
operating in Cambodia with a total capital of more than $2.2 billion.
These projects focus on telecommunications, banking, energy, rubber
planting, and agricultural product processing. — VNS
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