PM Hun Sen Receives His Vietnamese Counterpart

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, received here this morning at the Peace Palace visiting Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung.

In the one-hour meeting, the Vietnamese premier highly valued the visit by King-Father, Queen-Mother and King Norodom Sihamoni to Vietnam in June this year, which he said helped further promote the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two neighboring countries, H.E. Khieu Kanharith, spokesman for the Royal Government of Cambodia, told reporters upon the meeting.

H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung also expressed Vietnam’s irreversible stance in strengthening the good neighborliness with Cambodia as well as in enhancing and respecting Cambodia’s sovereignty.

He asked for the visit exchanges between the institutional, provincial and local leaders to increase mutual understanding and exchange experiences. He also invited Samdech Techo Hun Sen to pay a visit in Vietnam in an appropriate time.

The Vietnamese side wished to further boost the cooperation mechanisms between both countries as well as between the bordering provinces.

Vietnam asked for more cooperation, especially in the fields of aviation, banking, rubber, customs procedure facilitation, etc. and for more encouragement for Vietnamese investors and businessmen in Cambodia.

H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung thanked the Cambodian government for having prevented any anti-Vietnamese movement in Cambodia, assisted in searching remains of the Vietnamese soldiers fallen in Cambodia and authorized a Vietnamese company to explore oil and gas in Cambodia.

In reply, Premier Techo Hun Sen warmly welcomed the visit of his Vietnamese counterpart H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung, stressing that the visit will further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries and peoples, said H.E. Khieu Kanharith, also minister of Information.

The Cambodian prime minister accepted his counterpart’s propositions and suggestions and he asked the Vietnamese side to provide at least 170 MW of electric power to Cambodia from the end of this year. Vietnam has agreed to provide 200 MW of electric power to Cambodia, but so far only 120 MW have been provided.

Regarding the 2nd Sesan hydro-power dam, Samdech Techo Hun Sen has ordered the minister of Industry, Mine and Energy to accelerate the formalities for the construction of this dam.

Vietnamese Prime Minister assured that Vietnam will do its best to provide electricity at the Cambodia’s request.

After the talk, both premiers witnessed the signing ceremony of the Payment Agreement between the National Bank of Cambodia and the State Bank of Vietnam

Vietnamese Prime Minister H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung arrived here this morning for a one-day official visit to Cambodia at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

He is also scheduled to attend the 6th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Summit, the 5th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Summit and the 4th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit to be hosted by Cambodia from Nov. 16 to 17.