Cultivating and further deepening the friendship between Vietnam and China.

On the afternoon of November 13th, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, who was visiting and working in Vietnam.

Welcoming Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Tea Seiha and the delegation of the Royal Cambodian Army on their official visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Cambodia's National Day, which is also the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Cambodian Army, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Cambodia on the significant achievements it has made over the past 70 years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia. *(Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)*

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that Cambodia will continue to achieve even greater new successes in building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Cambodia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam and Cambodia are two neighboring countries with a long-standing tradition of good friendship, having fought together under the common leadership of the Indochinese Communist Party. The armies and people of the two countries stood shoulder to shoulder, fighting against colonialism and imperialism, overthrowing genocidal regimes, and bringing independence, freedom, and happiness to the people of each country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and General Tea Seiha expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Cambodia, in which political cooperation plays a guiding role in the cooperation between the two countries; economic and trade cooperation, connecting the two economies, is developing rapidly; and cooperation in the fields of education and training, culture, health, and people-to-people exchanges is receiving increasing attention.

Recalling the difficulties and losses that Vietnam had to endure to gain independence and freedom, including fighting against the aggression of the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, the Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches great importance and gives top priority to continuously consolidating and developing the good neighborly relations, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability with Cambodia; supporting a peaceful, stable, prosperous Cambodia whose role and position are increasingly affirmed in the region and the world.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Cambodia would cooperate with Vietnam to continue effectively implementing high-level agreements; further promote exchanges of delegations, especially high-level delegations; strengthen the connection between the two economies; train human resources; build a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border; continue to support, create favorable conditions, and assist the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia, including the legal status of ethnic Khmer people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia; and make even more positive contributions to the common development of both countries.

General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for taking the time to receive the delegation; and expressed gratitude to the Party, State, people, and Army of Vietnam for their assistance to Cambodia in the fight against the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, in achieving national independence, as well as in the process of building and developing the country from then until now.

Informing Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about the results of the talks between the two countries' Defense Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Cambodia stated that the Cambodian Ministry of Defense and the Minister personally will continue the tradition of fostering good neighborly relations, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability with Vietnam.

This includes traditional education to help generations of people in both countries, especially the younger generation, gain a deeper understanding of the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship and become more responsible in preserving and nurturing the relationship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the results of the talks between the two ministers, stating that defense cooperation has always been one of the most important pillars of Vietnam-Cambodia relations.

The Prime Minister affirmed that this cooperation can only be achieved on a foundation of trust and sincere collaboration, tested over time.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam implements a "four no's" national defense policy and hopes that both sides will unite to prevent hostile forces and opposition groups from undermining the solidarity between the two Parties and the people of the two countries.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government always supports and creates the most favorable conditions, and hopes that the two countries' armed forces will strengthen exchanges and sharing on strategic issues affecting the national defense and security of each country; promptly and effectively handle issues arising from the grassroots level; actively contribute to building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border; effectively coordinate and advise high-level leaders of both countries on military and defense matters, thereby further consolidating the position of military-defense cooperation; and contribute to deepening and nurturing the friendship between the two nations, the two Parties, and the people of the two countries, in a sincere and substantive spirit.

On this occasion, through General Tea Seiha, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed his greetings to the Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council of the King of Cambodia, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister Samdech Thipadi Hun Manet, and other senior Cambodian leaders and former leaders, including former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, Samdech Tea Banh.

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