Vietnam, Cambodia foster defence cooperation

At the seventh Vietnam-Cambodia policy dialogue on August 7, Chien affirmed the good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability between the two countries.

The two armies and peoples stood side by side in the past struggles for national liberation, he said, adding Vietnam always attaches importance and gives the top priority to consolidating and enhancing the relationship.

For his part, Chay Saing Yun said the dialogue demonstrates the close ties between the two armies, contributing to fostering the Vietnam-Cambodia relations.

The two sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of shared concern, and held that ASEAN-led mechanisms have maintained their role in promoting dialogues and cooperation within the bloc, as well as between ASEAN and external partners, for peace and stability in the region.

For maritime issues, Chien emphasised Vietnam’s advocacy of maintaining peace and stability, and ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea/South China Sea; settling all disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS); and effectively and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards building a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.

Both said since the sixth dialogue in April 2023, the bilateral defence cooperation has grown intensively, extensively, practical and effectively, with all-level delegation exchanges and meetings, personnel training, information exchange, and coordination in border management as well as in the search and repatriation of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia during the wartime.

They consented to continue such such activities, while educating generations of soldiers and residents, especially youths, about the importance of the friendship between the two armies and peoples.

On this occasion, Chien invited leaders of the Cambodian Defence Ministry and representatives of prestigious businesses in the neighbouring country to attend the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024, scheduled for December in Hanoi.

The two officers then signed the minutes of the dialogue.