Addressing the gathering, President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association (VCFA)'s HCM City chapter Truong Minh Nhut stressed that November 9, 1953 was a historical milestone in Cambodia’s history of national construction and defence.

He highlighted the traditional friendship, fruitful cooperation, solidarity, and mutual support between Vietnam and Cambodia in the past struggles for national liberation as well as present efforts in national construction and development.

The leaders and people of the two countries are trying to consolidate solidarity and friendship, cooperate in socio-economic development, and closely coordinate at international forums, in order to elevate the traditional friendship to a new high, for the benefits of the two countries' people and for the sake of peace, stability, and cooperation for development in the region, he said.

The chapter has organised activities to bring the people of the two countries closer together, along with social welfare programmes to support poor Cambodian students, Nhat said, adding that people in HCM City will continue their efforts to further promote the cooperation between the two nations.

Sok Dareth, Cambodian Consul General to HCM City, expressed his delight at the increasing development of the Cambodia-Vietnam special traditional friendship and neighbourliness.

Both Cambodia and Vietnam have been affected by COVID-19 and natural disasters this year, and leaders from the two countries, sectors, localities and people have regularly shared and supported each other, he emphasised.

He took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Party, Government, army, and people for their wholehearted support to Cambodia during the liberation of the country from the genocidal Pol Pot regime in 1979, as well as the current national construction and development.

Cambodia has always cooperated with and supported Vietnam in fulfilling its role as Chair of ASEAN and the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) in 2020 and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 term, as well as at regional and international forums, especially within ASEAN, he affirmed.

He highly appreciated and respectfully acknowledged the effective assistance of HUFO and VCFA's HCM City chapter in connecting, consolidating, and promoting the friendship between the city's residents and people of Cambodia in general and Phnom Penh in particular.

The Cambodian Consulate General will continue its efforts and cooperate with municipal authorities, departments, and sectors, as well as HUFO to organise people-to-people exchanges, contributing to further developing Cambodia-Vietnam relations in all fields and bringing practical benefits to the people of the two countries, he said./.

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