Kandal provincial governor Kong Sophoan on November 25 said Vietnamese troops had removed dozens of tents and structures that had been set up near the Cambodian border several months ago after talks between the countries’ top leaders.
“The Vietnamese soldiers dismantled all 26 tents and structures, they moved completely, including large and small tents and all kinds of structures. There was no argument at all. They agreed to dismantle with a smile,” Sophoan said.
“They said that the threat of Covid-19 in their country was finished, so, they agreed to dismantle without any conflict. It was very good and peaceful.”
In a video conference on November 24, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed ways to further boost bilateral ties and exchange views on regional and global issues of common concern, including cooperation in the fight against Covid-19, according to a press release from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on November 25
In the video dialogue, both leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress of bilateral cooperation in recent years and agreed to further strengthen the relationship.
The prime ministers also discussed the importance in enhancing bilateral business and investment between the two countries.
“For this purpose, the two leaders agreed to assign ministries and institutions and provincial authorities of their respective countries to work closely together to facilitate business travel, as well as promoting the implementation of preventive measures along the border of the two countries that may eventually occur in a timely manner.
“Both leaders also reaffirmed joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of defence and security in order to ensure order in the border area,” the press release said.
During the talks, the prime ministers hailed the ratification of the Supplementary Treaty to the 1985 Treaty on the Delimitation of National Boundaries and the 2005 Supplementary Treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as the Protocol on the Demarcation and Marker Planting of the Land Boundary between the Kingdom of Cambodia and Vietnam in 2019.
Both leaders stressed the importance of exchanging maps of the border between Cambodia and Vietnam.
“Both sides have agreed to expedite the process to exchange the instruments of ratification of the 2019 Supplementary Treaty and Protocol as soon as possible. The two leaders also pledged to resolve the remaining 16 per cent of the border in order to turn the Cambodia-Vietnam border into a border of peace, stability, cooperation and development,” the press release said.
Var Kimhong, senior minister and chairman of the Joint Border Committee, on November 25 said Hun Sen had always trusted the Border Affairs Committee, which had been successful in many matters related to the Cambodia-Vietnam border.
“We are a fully independent country. We have signed treaties with our neighbours. This is an honour for our country and a legacy for our descendants. For the remaining 16 per cent, we will do our best to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” he said.
Kimhong said the French government had recently agreed to a request from the prime ministers to send experts to help train Cambodian and Vietnamese engineers on mapping skills relevant to the border. situation.
Ouch Phea, the governor of Takeo province which also shares its border with Vietnam, could not be reached for comment on November 25.
Social and political analyst Lao Mong Hay on November 24 said the prime ministers’ commitments were nothing new and merely reflected agreements signed by both sides in the past.
“If the two sides are stuck and do not agree on a specific point or line, then both sides should agree to find a third party that knows the Cambodian-Vietnamese border best. Usually, it’s the French who help resolve it,” he said.
