Vietnam, Cambodia bolster co-operation in border construction

Those in attendance at the signing ceremony included Major General Le Duc Thai, member of the Party Central Committee and Commander of the Border Guard, along with General Hun Manet, deputy commander of the Army Command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and Senior Colonel Nguyen Thanh Chinh, Vietnamese Defence Attaché in Cambodia.

The signing ceremony took place virtually in an effort to ensure safety amid increasingly complicated developments relating to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In line with the protocol on bilateral defence co-operation during the 2020 to 2024 period, both sides pledged to strictly implement the border management according to the map, with 84% of land border demarcation already recorded.

For sections where land border demarcation and marker planting work has yet to be completed, the management will continue to perform actions according to the General Press Release of the two nations’ Prime Ministers on January 17, 1995.

In his speech at the event, Maj. Gen. Thai affirmed that the signing ceremony of the MoU between both sides marked a new, substantive, and effective development milestone in terms of border protection and management. Indeed, the event demonstrates the political belief and determination of the two sides to develop the border for peace, friendship, co-operation, and development.

Furthermore, the signing of the MoU will make a number of positive contributions to finalising land border demarcation in accordance to the plans of the two governments as a means of creating a favourable premise for the signing of a Border Guard Protocol at the Defence Ministry-level. Indeed, this can be done by the two countries as well as with other neighbouring countries in the future, Maj. Gen. Thai added.

In his role as deputy commander of the Royal Army of Cambodia, Gen. Manet extended his greetings to all leaders and soldiers of the Defence Ministry, as well as to Vietnamese citizens.