Phnom Penh (VNA) – Vietnam and Cambodia signed acooperation agreement covering specific collaboration programmes in 28 areasfollowing the 17th meeting of their Joint Committee on Cooperationin Economy, Culture, Science and Technology.

The meeting was held in Phnom Penh on August 21 under theco-chair of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham BinhMinh and his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn.

Both Minh and Prak Sokhonn agreed that the Vietnam-Cambodiarelations have seen progress with encouraging results since the previousmeeting of the committee in May last year.

Along with maintaining regular high-level meetings andvisits as well as bilateral cooperation mechanism, the two sides haveco-organised many activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary ofvictory over the genocidal regime (January 7, 1979-2019), they noted.

On the occasion, Deputy PM Prak Sokhom thanked the peopleand volunteer soldiers of Vietnam for saving Cambodians from the genocidalregime as well as supporting the country during the present nationalconstruction and development.

The two sides agreed to create more favourable conditionsfor bilateral economic, trade cooperation, while continuing to reinforcebilateral partnership in security-defence, transport infrastructure, mining-industry-energy,agro-forestry-fisheries, information and communications, health care, labourand social affairs, culture, sports, tourism, and environment.

The Cambodian side thanked Vietnam for its willingness to supportCambodia in personnel training in technology, science, and for increasing powersale to Cambodia by 50MW to help Cambodia ease power shortage in dry season.

The two sides concurred to speed up procedures to completeand hand over to Cambodia the model border market at Da commune in Memotdistrict, Tbong Khmum province and the high school in Ou Reang district,Mondulkiri province in 2019. They also pledged to accelerate the signing of an aidagreement for the construction of office buildings for the Secretariat andcommittees of the Cambodian National Assembly, along with some items of acommunity-based rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Preah Sihanoukprovince.

Vietnam and Cambodia agreed to undertake a number ofmeasures to promote economic, trade and investment partnership, and facilitateborder trade through upgrading border infrastructure and enhance connection ofroads, waterway roads and tourism.

They will expand cooperation to new areas in the context ofthe Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially support to small- and medium-sizedand micro enterprises, cyber security and safety, and nuclear medicine.

Cambodia spoke highly of the fact that Vietnam is one of thecountry’s biggest investors with 214 projects worth over 3 billion USD.

Both countries agreed to coordinate closely to createoptimal conditions for their businesses to cooperate and seek partnership.

The two sides appreciated the efforts of relevant agencies tosoon finalise and sign two documents on the workload already completed in bordermarker planting (84 percent).

They shared concern about the lowest water level on the MekongRiver recently, stressing the significance of close coordination among countriesin the Mekong Delta subregion in maintaining effective and sustainable use ofMekong River water, especially in information and data sharing as well asconsultation before building hydropower plants in the mainstream.

Both sides agreed to work with Laos to foster tripartiteaffiliation in the Development Triangle, while effectively implementing themaster plan on connecting the three economies and striving to attract morefinancial resources from development partners and international financialorganisations.

They pledged close coordination in 2020 when Vietnam servesas both the Chair of ASEAN and a non-permanent member of the UN SecurityCouncil in the 2020-2021 tenure and Cambodia hosts the 13th Summitof the Asia-Europe Meeting.-VNA