Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to expand and deepen their friendly and cooperative relations in various spheres, including legislation, education, energy, transport and tourism.

During talks between Nguyen Phu Trong, president of Vietnam's National Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, and Heng Samrin, visiting president of Cambodia's National Assembly, on Friday, the two sides agreed that the two countries should maintain visits of their top legislature's leaders and committees to enhance mutual understanding, exchange professional experiences, and strengthen cooperation in such fields as law-making, supervision, culture, education, economy and trade.

They said Vietnam and Cambodia could jointly hold seminars on subjects of mutual concern in the context of regional and international integration.

The two legislative leaders agreed that in addition to fostering political ties, the two countries should intensify cooperation in fields with great potential for joint development, including education and training, electricity, transport, healthcare and tourism.

The leaders also welcomed the two countries' recent agreement on planting border posts along their land borders. The planting is scheduled to start in September and complete in late 2008.

Also on Friday, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh, Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, met separately with Heng Samrin, discussing issues of mutual interest.

Manh stated that Vietnam spares no efforts to reinforce friendly and cooperative ties with Cambodia within a framework of "good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and durable stability," contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The Cambodian top leader thanked Vietnam for having helped Cambodia during its national protection and construction process. He said his country wants to ceaselessly reinforce and beef up the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

Heng Samrin arrived in Vietnam on Thursday for a six-day official visit to the country.

Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1967, Vietnam and Cambodia have developed bilateral ties in various spheres, including economy and trade. Their import-export turnovers rose 30 percent to roughly 692 million U.S. dollars in 2005.

The two countries agreed to a target of gaining two-way trade of one billion U.S. dollars in 2006 during an official visit to Cambodia by former prime minister Phan Van Khai in March.

Source: Xinhua