VN, Cambodia pledge stronger ties VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's Party, State and National Assembly leaders yesterday, Dec 26, welcomed Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen on his official visit to Viet Nam, his first overseas trip after he was re-elected to the post.    Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday in Ha Noi.  Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Cambodian counterpart indicated a strong commitment to lift the Viet Nam-Cambodia friendship and their multi-faceted cooperation to new heights in the future during their talks in Ha Noi yesterday. At the talks, held after an official welcome ceremony for Prime Minister Hun Sen, the two PMs said they were pleased by the developments in the two countries' relations in recent times. They agreed to increase the trade between both nations to US$5 billion by 2015 by deepening cooperation, particularly in trade, tourism, telecommunications, aviation, banking, oil and gas, industrial development and farming and agriculture. They vowed to facilitate visits at state level to enhance mutual understanding and ensure that every possible form of support is provided to Vietnamese firms in Cambodia.Both leaders reached a consensus to strengthen the partnership in the fight against terrorism, trans-national crime, smuggling and drug and human trafficking. They also reiterated the need to adhere to the principle of not allowing any hostile force to use their territory to harm the other country's security, as well as non-interference in the other country's internal affairs. PM Hun Sen congratulated Viet Nam on its membership to the United Nations Human Rights Council during the 2014-16 term and expressed his gratitude for Viet Nam's wholehearted and valuable assistance to his country in the present and the past. PM Dung used the occasion to thank the relevant Cambodian agencies and authorities for their assistance in the search and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs' remains in the past. The leaders agreed to jointly host activities to mark the 35th anniversary of Cambodia's victory over the genocidal Pol Pot regime. In addition, the leaders reiterated their determination to conclude the border demarcation as soon as possible. Commending Cambodia's support for the Vietnamese community to live and work in the country, the Vietnamese leader also promised to help the Cambodians in Viet Nam.   Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen inspect the Guard of Honor at the beginning of his visit to Viet Nam yesterday.  On the East Sea issue, both leaders agreed to uphold ASEAN's common stance outlined in its Six-Point Principle on the East Sea, which places importance on maintaining peace and stability, settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, increasing the pace of implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and the formulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea between ASEAN and China. Discussing regional and global issues of mutual interest, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working closely at multilateral frameworks, such as the United Nations, ASEAN and other regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms. After the talks, the leaders witnessed the signing of 10 co-operation deals on extradition, trade promotion, the transit of goods, funding for the Long Binh–Charay Thom bridge construction, as well as agreements on the education, media, public security, oil and gas, and fertiliser industries. Yesterday, welcoming the Cambodian leader, President Sang said there should be more high-level visits between the two sides to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest. The Cambodian PM, for his part, proposed stronger people-to-people activities, especially those that improved young people's awareness of the bilateral friendship between Cambodia and Viet Nam. He added that he looked forward to welcoming President Sang to his country. At a reception for the Cambodian PM, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong described the Cambodian PM's visit as an important event, which would further deepen the already close bilateral ties. Trong congratulated Hun Sen on his re-election as the Cabinet's leader, adding that he was confident about Cambodia's continuing development under the direction and management of the government. Hun Sen expressed his desire to continue developing the bilateral friendship and sharing each side's experiences in political reform. At the reception, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said he hoped both nations would achieve the goals discussed by the two sides at their recently-concluded talks, which would further strengthen the Vietnam-Cambodia partnership. The Vietnamese legislature has always given importance to developing close connections with the Cambodian Parliament and Senate in the interest of their people, Hung added. The Cambodian leader urged the legislature in both countries to support the efforts of their respective Cabinets, adding that with the support of the law-making bodies, the relations between Viet Nam and Cambodia could become stronger in the future. VNS