Party leader: Vietnam gives top priority to maintaining friendship with Cambodia
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday began a state visit to Cambodia at the initiation of King Norodom Sihamoni. The party leader was received at airport by Deputy Prime Minister Kongsanon and other high ranking Cambodian officials together with Vietnamese representatives from the Embassy and business circles. After the official welcoming ceremony, party leader Trong held talks with the Cambodian King. Later in the afternoon, he met with Speaker of Senate Chiasin, Prime Minister Hunsen and Acting National Assembly Speaker Munnhen.
During talks with King Norodom Sihamoni, Mr. Trong reiterated Vietnam's unswerving policy of maintaining and developing the fine neighbourliness, time-honoured friendship and long-term and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia: "This is my first state visit to Cambodia as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The visit conveys a message that Vietnamese people always stand side by side with the Cambodian people to make bilateral relationship flourish".
King Sihamoni expressed Cambodian people’s deep gratitude to the Communist Party, government and people of Vietnam who helped Cambodia escape the genocidal regime and reconstruct the nation. He pledged to continue cementing the great solidarity, pure friendship and fine neighbourly cooperation between the two countries.
Both host and guest agreed that Cambodia and Vietnam will further strengthen their comprehensive and long-term relationship, considering it an invaluable asset of the two nations.
Later, Mr Trong paid a courtesy visit to King-father Sihanouk and Queen-mother Monineath.
On this occasion, Party leaderTrong handed over 100 computers to King Sihamoni as gifts to Cambodian schools and education centres.
Cambodia’s major newspaper “Rasmay” on Tuesday front-paged the first visit to Cambodia by Vietnamese party leader Nguyen Phu Trong. The paper quoted commentators as saying that the visit from December 6th to 8th will boost the traditional friendship between the 2 countries and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in region.