Vientiane (FN), Mar. 25 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Laotian counterpart Sonexay Siphandone discussed border affairs, security, and economy, in a bilateral meeting on Monday (Mar. 25) in Vientiane, Laos.

The six important tasks were raised, including:

1. For energy sector, Cambodia thanked Laos for its continuous energy supply to the kingdom. In addition, the two sides signed a second phase of cooperation agreement on energy cooperation, accompanied by four Memorandum of Understandings. The goal is to continue to ensure the supply of energy to Cambodia.

2. For economy and trade, both sides discussed the importance of holding the 15th Meeting of the Cambodia-Laos Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the re-launch of the Joint Trade Commission and hosting of business and investment forums and the expansion of economic integration through trade exchanges in services such as financial services, land logistics, and tourism.

3. Both leaders welcomed the launch of the direct flights between Phnom Penh and Vientiane, which will further contribute to the growth of tourism, trade, and other important sectors between the two countries. Both sides also discussed detailed projects and other initiatives to further promote people-to-people connectivity.

4. For defence and security cooperation, both sides pledged to strengthen cooperation along the border, especially the communication between the leaders of the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Interior. In particular, cooperating on existing military cooperation and strengthening the prevention and suppression of transnational crime, especially human and drug trafficking.

5. For border affairs, the two countries exchanged instruments of ratification of the border demarcation treaty between the two countries, which was signed on 13 February 2023, and signed meeting minutes on the exchange of instruments of this ratification. In this sense, Cambodia expects both sides to fully and effectively implement the State Boundary Treaty. In particular, the demarcation of the demarcation line along the waterway and the entire length of the border shall be agreed upon in accordance with the principles of international law and in accordance with the principles of international practice enshrined in Article 2 of the State Boundary Treaty Cambodia-Laos 2023.

6. Both sides discussed measures to promote cooperation in tourism, education, sports, and agriculture.
=FRESH NEWS