Vietnamese and Cambodian defence ministries sign a cooperation plan for 2017.
The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Military Zone 5 High Command, after a welcome ceremony was held for Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh who is on a four-day visit to Vietnam that started January 8.
At the talks, the two ministers noted that they were pleased with outcomes of bilateral military cooperation last year, particularly in delegation exchanges, personnel training and border security.
Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich expressed his appreciation for Cambodia’s support for Vietnam in searching for and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts.
Tea Banh said Cambodia is always thankful for Vietnam’s assistance during its struggle against the Khmer Rouge and the current task of national construction.
Both sides agreed to work closely in organising propaganda campaigns and education activities for mutual understanding as part of celebration of the semicentenary of the relations between Vietnam and Cambodia.
These events include a writing contest and the upgrading of six friendship monuments in Cambodia.
In 2017, Cambodia will hold commune and ward elections, so strong information liaison with Vietnam is necessary.
The two ministers emphasised that the priorities for defence cooperation this year and in future years would be the organisation of delegation exchanges, deputy ministerial level–defence policy dialogues, joint marine patrols, border work and searching for Vietnamese martyrs.
At the function, they witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Vietnam Institute for Military Strategy and Cambodian Institute for Strategic Studies.