Creating new momentum in Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia relations

The state visit to Laos and Cambodia from July 11 to 13 by President To Lam represents a very important message from the Vietnamese Party and State as well as from the President himself.

Affirming the solidarity and close ties between the three countries

Today (July 11), at the invitation of Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, President To Lam began a state visit to Laos and Cambodia.

President To Lam today began a very important visit to Laos and Cambodia.

Photo: VNA

This is President To Lam's first overseas trip since taking office. Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet said that the President's visit to Laos and Cambodia on this first trip is of great significance, demonstrating a very important message from the Party and State of Vietnam as well as from the President himself. That is, the Party and State of Vietnam always attach importance to and give the highest priority to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos and the good neighborly relationship, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability between Vietnam and Cambodia. This is also a message affirming the solidarity and close bond between the three countries. Accordingly, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are geographically close, have historical and cultural ties, and the three leading parties in the three countries have a common origin, the Communist Party of Indochina. The people of the three countries have also had solidarity, sacrificed blood and bones for the cause of national liberation, national unification and national development as it is today. With the determination to promote the implementation of high-level agreements, especially the results of the annual meetings between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Mr. Viet said that the visit will mark a new stage of development in the Vietnam-Laos and Vietnam-Cambodia relations. This relationship is developed on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, effective cooperation, respect for each other's interests, contributing to consolidating strategic trust, deepening the relationship, and strengthening solidarity between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and ASEAN. Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet said that during the visit, President To Lam is expected to have talks, meetings and contacts with all senior leaders of Laos and Cambodia. This is an opportunity for senior leaders to review high-level agreements, important areas of cooperation and set out directions for cooperation in the coming time. According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam-Laos and Vietnam-Cambodia relations are developing well and comprehensively on the basis of increasing trust and closeness. Party channel cooperation plays a core role, has been guiding and leading the strong development of the relationship. Defense and security cooperation between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is increasingly becoming a solid pillar of cooperation, contributing significantly to maintaining stability, security, politics and society in each country, especially in the border area. Accordingly, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are steadfast in the principle of not allowing hostile forces to use the territory of one country to conduct acts against the other. The three countries are also promoting important cooperation mechanisms such as: the annual conference between the three Ministers of Public Security and the Ministry of Interior, the annual meeting between the three Ministers of Defense and joint search and rescue exercises between the three armies.

The visit created new momentum

The cooperation between the three countries in the fields of economy , investment and trade continues to develop more positively and effectively, economic cooperation in border areas develops dynamically, not only increasing the connection between the three countries but also contributing significantly to improving the lives of people in border areas between Vietnam - Laos, Vietnam - Cambodia as well as between the three countries. Meetings of the Vietnam - Laos Intergovernmental Committee are regularly held to promptly exchange and find solutions to enhance the effectiveness of cooperation in key areas. Vietnam continues to be one of the largest investors and trade partners of Laos and currently has 255 valid investment projects in Laos with a total capital of 5.5 billion USD. In addition, Vietnam is currently the third largest trade partner of Cambodia and the largest of Cambodia in ASEAN. Currently, Vietnam has 205 valid investment projects in Cambodia with a total registered capital of 2.94 billion USD, ranking first in ASEAN and among the five countries with the largest direct investment in Cambodia. Education and training cooperation has received special attention from the leaders of the Party and State of the three countries. In addition, Vietnam always prioritizes supporting Laos and Cambodia to improve the quality of human resources. The number of students exchanged between Vietnam and Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia is increasing with increasingly high quality, which is a human resource that actively contributes to the development of each country, and at the same time is an extremely important foundation to help promote cultural exchange, enhance understanding and communication between the people of the three countries. In addition, cooperation in areas such as transportation, culture - society, tourism, science - technology is also developing strongly. In particular, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized that the work of handling legal documents for people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia has made new progress, which is a premise for creating increasingly better conditions for the community of Vietnamese origin living and doing business in Cambodia. "The visit will certainly create new momentum to develop more deeply, comprehensively and strongly the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos and the good neighborly relationship, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability between Vietnam and Cambodia," Mr. Viet affirmed. The visit also promotes cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN, Mekong sub-region cooperation mechanisms and the United Nations.

Special attention and priority given to Laos

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh said that President To Lam's state visit to Laos has a very important and profound meaning. This is not only a major diplomatic event but also a vivid manifestation of the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. "The fact that Laos is the first country that President To Lam visited in his capacity as President shows the special respect and priority that Vietnam gives to Laos," the Lao Ambassador affirmed. According to the Lao Ambassador, during the visit, the two Presidents will review the cooperation relationship in the past time; together remove difficulties and obstacles and orient cooperation in the future. Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh shared that economic cooperation between Laos and Vietnam has achieved many remarkable achievements... Meanwhile, answering the press, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung said that through President To Lam's visit, the Party and State of Vietnam wish to convey to the world the message about the special, loyal, steadfast relationship, unique in the world between Vietnam and Laos. In addition, he affirmed his determination, together with Lao friends, to bring the relationship between the two countries to a new level. According to Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung, the two countries need to continue to deepen political relations, well implement high-level agreements, and in particular, continue to maintain and improve the effectiveness of the cooperation mechanism between the two countries' senior leaders...

Trade and investment turnover flourished

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam currently has 241 investment projects in Laos with a total registered capital of more than 5.5 billion USD, continuing to maintain the 3rd position among countries and territories. Vietnam - Laos trade turnover in the first 5 months of 2024 reached 779.6 million USD, up 11% over the same period in 2023. Vietnam - Cambodia trade turnover entering 2024 showed signs of recovery, reaching about 3.9 billion USD in the first 4 months of the year, up 16.8% over the same period in 2023. Vietnam is currently Cambodia's 3rd largest trading partner and Cambodia's largest trading partner in ASEAN. To date, Vietnam has 205 valid investment projects in Cambodia with a total registered capital of 2.94 billion USD, ranking first in ASEAN and among the top 5 countries with the largest direct investment in Cambodia. At the same time, Cambodia ranks second among 79 countries and territories in which Vietnam has invested.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tao-xung-luc-moi-trong-quan-he-viet-lao-campuchia-185240710225020557.htm