Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

On April 5, the Cambodian leader also sent a letter of congratulations to PM Chinh.

During the phone talks, PM Hun Sen highly valued Vietnam’s enormous achievements in the recent past, voicing his belief that under the leadership of PM Chinh, the Vietnamese Government and people will reap more successes in national reform and development and unceasingly promote the country’s role and stature in the region and the world.

Thanking his Cambodian counterpart for the congratulations, PM Chinh affirmed the wish to work closely with PM Hun Sen so as to continue sustainably and effectively developing the sound neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and the two governments.

He said he believes that the Cambodian Government and people, under the clear-sighted leadership of Hun Sen, will contain the COVID-19 outbreak soon and obtain new achievements.

He also agreed to assign the countries’ ministers of health to share experience in COVID-19 prevention and control.

The two PMs noted with satisfaction their countries sustaining cooperation amid the pandemic, maintaining phone talks and teleconferences at all levels, and effectively bringing into play bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

They agreed to coordinate to effectively implement the agreements between Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders, strengthen ties in defence and security, improve the effectiveness of borderline management, prevent the spread of diseases, and ensure the smooth flow of goods through border gates.

Both sides also concurred in keeping close coordination at multilateral forums and joining other member nations to maintain the solidarity and promote the centrality of ASEAN.

PM Chinh thanked Cambodia for supporting Vietnam to successfully serve as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, while affirming Vietnam’s support for Cambodia to successfully organise the 7th Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit and the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in 2021.

During the talks, the leaders exchanged the invitation to visit each other’s nations.

PM Chinh also took this occasion to extend greetings to the Cambodian leaders and people on their traditional New Year festival.