The visit takes place at a time when Cambodia has maintained stability and a rather high economic growth rate over recent years. The fourth parliamentary election was held successfully in July 2008 and highly acclaimed by the international community. Five out of 11 political parties won seats at the National Assembly. The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won a landslide victory with 90 out of a total of 123 seats to form a new Government. At the first session of the National Assembly on September 25, 2008, lawmakers voted for the new Government led by CPP from 2008 to 2013.

Relations of friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia have developed strongly in recent times under the motto of “Good neighbourly relationship, traditional friendship and comprehensive and long-lasting cooperation”.

The two countries have exchanged many high-ranking visits, including visits to Vietnam in March 2006 and June 2008 by King Norodom Sihamoni, and a visit to Cambodia in February 2007 by State President Nguyen Minh Triet. The two Prime Ministers also met with each other on the sidelines of the summit of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) in March 2008.

Vietnam and Cambodia convened the 4^th meeting on cooperation and development of their border provinces in February 2008 and the 10^th session of the Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation in October 2008.

The two countries have enjoyed significant progress in economics, trade and investment cooperation over the past years. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Cambodia hit nearly US$1.2 billion in 2007 and US$903 million in the first six months of this year. Both countries aim to raise the figure to US$2 billion in 2010. Vietnamese investors also poured US$100 million into Cambodia by 2007.

Bilateral cooperation in education and training, energy, health care, transport, and national security and defence has also developed steadily. The two countries have cooperated well in dealing with border issues and have agreed to complete border demarcation and landmark planting by 2012.

They have closely coordinated within a number of international organisations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and other regional and international cooperation mechanisms, including the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the East-West Economic Corridor Development Programme (EWEC), and the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).