Spokesman of the Cambodian Council of Ministers Phay Siphan (Photo: VNA)
So said Phay Siphan, Minister and Spokesman of the Cambodian Council of Ministers, during an interview granted for Vietnam News Agency on the purpose and significance of the visit, as well as the bilateral relationship.
He confirmed that the visit to Vietnam and other foreign countries after Hun Sen’s re-election as Cambodian Prime Minister aims to thank foreign friends for their support to Cambodia and himself. As planned, the Prime Minister will have meetings with Vietnam’s highest leaders and witness the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements.
According to the Cambodian official, Vietnam and Cambodia have proven to the world and next generations about the continuous development of their ties. “Mutual understanding, respect and non-intervention into each other’s internal affairs are important foundations for the relationship development,” he said.
He said that Cambodia and Vietnam need to continue to maintain mutual understanding and respect, and work together to build a historic border line, adding that Cambodia always wants to cooperate with Vietnam, especially in economics.
“The good relationship and the guideline in building a friendly, peaceful, stable and developed border line have helped develop bordered localities,” he went on to say. “Cambodian border residents can find it easy to come to Vietnam for health check-ups.”
He expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government, State and people for their support and collaboration across various fields, including healthcare.
He stressed that Vietnam is willing to help Cambodia when it is in difficult circumstances. Recalling the sacrifice by Vietnamese soldiers for Cambodia’s life and revival, he said that Vietnam has proven the value and purity of its support to the neighbouring country.
The official described the good neighbourliness between Vietnam and Cambodia as a model and said that the two countries will continue to work together to advance the relationship.
Established diplomatic relations on June 24th, 1967, the two nations have regularly maintained the exchange of visits at all levels.
Statistics from Vietnam News Agency showed that Vietnam has become one of Cambodia’s leading economic partners, with two-way trade reaching nearly USD3.8 billion in 2017, up more than 25% year-on-year.
The two countries are striving to raise the figure to USD5 billion in the coming years.
Vietnam has, to date, invested in 206 projects in Cambodia with a combined registered capital of USD3.02 billion, among the top five foreign investors in Cambodia. Meanwhile, Cambodia has poured USD58.1 million into 18 projects in Vietnam.
In 2017, 835,000 Vietnamese visited Cambodia while 222,000 Cambodians travelled to Vietnam./.