Hanoi – Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will pay an official visit to Vietnam from June 24-26 at the invitation of State President Nguyen Minh Triet.
This is the Cambodian King’s second visit to Vietnam . His first visit was made in March 2006.
The visit aims to consolidate the close relationship between the two countries’ leaders, enhance and develop the traditional friendship, good neighbourliness and all-round cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia . It is also intended to affirm major principles in the ties that were agreed between the two countries’ leaders, discuss a number of issues in bilateral relations, promote cooperation and facilitate the settlement of a number of existing issues.
Enjoyed the special attention of their leaders, the two neighbouring countries’ relationship has developed under the motto “good neighbour, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long lasting stability”. The exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries has been unceasingly consolidated, thus helping to accelerate mutual trusts.
The exchange of visits by the two countries’ ministries, branches, mass organisations and localities, especially border provinces, has increased, making important contributions to the enhancement of the open, sincere and trustful relations between Vietnam and Cambodia .
The Vietnam-Cambodia economic, trade and investment relations has constantly developed in conformity with their political ties, potential and strengths. Two-way trade value saw an average increase of 40 percent per year, reaching 1.181 billion USD in 2007, a 30 percent increase over the same period of 2006. In the first four months of the year, the amount hit 552 million USD, a 41.4 percent year-on-year increase. Both countries agreed on a number of measures to promote economic ties and strive to raise two-way trade turnover to 2 billion USD in 2010.
Vietnam ’s investment capital in Cambodia has increased to around 100 million USD. Vietnamese businesses invest mainly in exploring and exploiting minerals and oil and gas in Cambodia and cooperate with their Cambodian partners in planting rubber trees, developing traffic infrastructure facilities and building hydro-electric power plants and power transmission lines.
Fine results were also seen in the two countries’ cooperation in healthcare, education, science and technology. Vietnam has agreed to grant 100 long-term and 450 short-tem scholarships to Cambodian students this year, and Cambodia granted scholarships to Vietnamese officials to study the Khmer language in Cambodia . Cambodia has highly valued Vietnam for its humanitarian activities such as providing medical check-ups and eye surgery to poor Cambodians living in border provinces.
Both countries have also closely coordinated with each other in international and regional forums, contributing to raising their prestige and position in the region and the world. Bilateral cooperation in international and regional organisations has also been fastened.
Good neighbourliness and cultural similarities have helped develop the traditional relationship between the Vietnamese and Cambodian people. The official Vietnam visit by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni beginning on June 24 – the day Vietnam and Cambodia established their diplomatic ties – will promote the traditional friendship, good neighbourliness and all-round cooperation between the two counties.
