BANTEAY MEANCHEY: A delegation from Dong Thap province of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, led by the Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Dinh Minh Tieu, met with the Acting Governor of Banteay Meanchey Province, Om Chantha, at the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Hall on Tuesday afternoon, to thank the provincial administration for alleviating the hardships of the Vietnamese people living in Banteay Meanchey province, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to also directly extend their wishes for the upcoming Khmer New Year.

During the meeting, Deputy Chairman Dinh Minh Tuan thanked the Banteay Meanchey provincial leadership for always helping the Vietnamese people who reside in the province, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that the provincial administration administered vaccines for the Vietnamese population and also facilitated the preparation of burial sites for the Vietnamese people who died of Covid-19 in the province. He said that these points prove that the relationship between the two countries and the two provinces continues to grow stronger.

The Deputy Chairman said, "On behalf of the Vietnamese people, we will continue to work together to strengthen this partnership.”

Acting Provincial Governor Om Chantha also said that Cambodia and Vietnam are good partners who have been cooperating with each other for a long time and have always helped each other. He recalled the history of the struggle against colonialism until the two countries were able to gain their own independence and helped each other to unite territory and also liberate Cambodia from genocide.

He said, "During the war, Cambodia helped Vietnam unify their territory, while Vietnam helped liberate the Cambodian people from the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime led by Pol Pot. Every Cambodian remembers the merits of the Vietnamese Volunteer Army, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of establishing peace and freedom for the Cambodian people."

It should be noted that the Vietnamese province of Dong Thap is an important cooperation partner to Banteay Meanchey Province. The two provinces formally formed a sisterhood through the signing of a first Memorandum of Understanding in 2011, and a second in 2016. The signing of the latest MoU of 2021 was interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis.

Through this visit, Banteay Meanchey provincial leaders hope that the two sides will maintain good relations and continue good cooperation with one another, and have requested for there to be further discussions and preparations for the new MoU to submit to leaders from both sides for review and to finally proceed with the official signing at a convenient time in the near future.