Coordination in managing and protecting the Vietnam - Cambodia border

The implementation of international treaties on territorial borders is of great significance in the management of national borders, creating a friendly, traditional relationship, a spirit of solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia on the basis of respecting each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation and solidarity to help each other for a peaceful, stable, friendly, cooperative and sustainably developed border, creating favorable conditions for the exchange, travel and production of border residents, contributing to promoting cooperation in socio-economic development in border areas.

Vietnam and Cambodia have a deep interest in border cooperation. This will create a political and legal foundation to resolve common border issues between the two countries.

Coordinating the management and protection of the Vietnam - Cambodia border. Illustrative photo, source Internet.

At the end of August 2023, the Vietnam Border Guard Command and the Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia held a roundtable conference on coordination in border management, protection, border gate control, and ensuring security and order in the Vietnam - Cambodia border area, in Chau Doc city, An Giang province (Vietnam).

This is an activity within the Vietnam - Cambodia Border Friendship Exchange Program in 2019, aiming to contribute to strengthening the solidarity and good traditional relationship between the governments and people of the two countries, together building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developed Vietnam - Cambodia border.

Co-chairing the conference, on the Vietnamese side were Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Central Military Commission, Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard. On the Cambodian side, there were General Hun Manet, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army; General Sao Sokha, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Gendarmerie; General Teng Soun, Deputy Director General of the Cambodian National Police; General Pin Piseth, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Immigration, Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia; General Siek Socheat, Director of the Border Department, General Command of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Roundtable conference on coordination in border management, protection, border gate control and ensuring security and order in the Vietnam-Cambodia border area. Photo: VNA.

At the conference, the two sides agreed that in order for the working coordination between the border protection forces of the two countries to become increasingly close and effective, the two countries' task forces need to continue to show their determination to support, actively participate, and create favorable conditions for the demarcation and marker planting tasks in the field to be completed soon according to the plans of the two governments. The two sides need to protect the achievements of demarcation and marker planting achieved in the past, serving the signing of the Border Agreement in the coming time, contributing to building a common border between the two countries of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development. The two sides closely coordinate, together prevent and promptly and effectively resolve incidents occurring on the border in accordance with the Agreement on Border Regulations and the agreements of the two governments in the spirit of solidarity, friendship, and cooperation, not allowing hostile forces to take advantage of inciting, distorting, slandering, and sabotaging the friendly relations between Vietnam and Cambodia; Closely coordinate to maintain political security, social order and safety, investigate and prevent crimes, especially organized crimes and cross-border terrorism. The two sides also coordinate to prevent illegal entry and exit, combat non-traditional security crimes; search and rescue in border areas and inland areas of each country when natural disasters and catastrophes occur; prevent deforestation and illegal exploitation of agricultural and forest products in the border areas of the two countries.

The border protection forces of both sides closely coordinate, creating conditions for people on both sides of the border to travel back and forth for medical examination and treatment, visit relatives, buy and sell, and exchange essential goods to serve people's lives; actively advise local authorities in promoting friendly exchanges between people on both sides of the border, step up propaganda work for people to strictly comply with the Agreement on border management regulations and laws of each country; actively mobilize people to participate in the fight against illegal entry and exit, crime, and smuggling across the border and border gates, and build solidarity and friendship between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to actively and responsibly participate in coordinating and organizing border friendship exchange programs at all levels to enhance solidarity, friendship, understanding, trust, attachment, and coordination between the authorities, border management and protection forces and border gates of Vietnam and Cambodia, contributing positively to the cause of national construction and protection of each country, as well as peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world./.

Bich Huong