Vientiane, 14 September 2022 (TDI): The Defense Ministers of Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos are set to hold trilateral talks in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Correspondingly, the Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, Tea Banh left for Laos early this morning.
Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence departs from Phnom Penh International Airport to attend Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic pic.twitter.com/lfus0NTLnr
— Office of Cambodian PM 🇰🇭 (@PeacePalaceKH) September 14, 2022
The Cambodian Minister will attend Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane on behalf of Cambodia.
The Defense Minister of Vietnam is also present in Laos for the meeting. During the meeting, all three sides will highlight strengthening defense cooperation with one another.
Meeting between Vietnam and Laos Defense Ministers
On Tuesday, the Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, Phan Van Giang, and Lao Minister Chansamone Chanyalath held talks in Vientiane.
During their talks, they discussed international and regional issues of common concern Both Ministers also reviewed previous cooperation outcomes and suggested cooperation orientations for the time ahead.
Additionally, the Ministers also expressed support for intensifying ties among the armies of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. They also affirmed maintaining the annual meeting of the three countries’ defense ministers and supporting each other at various events hosted by each of them.
Recent Updates
Recently, the defense ministries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia launched a joint search and rescue exercise in Laos, on September 10.
It is the first drill organized under an agreement inked at a defense ministers’ meeting among the three countries in Hanoi in 2019. It will run through September 15.
Lao Deputy Minister of National Defence addressed the opening ceremony. He highlighted that the three countries’ governments and armed forces give priority to preventing and responding to threats by natural disasters.
These also include climate change-related issues like flooding, storm, tsunami, earthquake, and drought.
About 500 military officers from the three countries gathered for the drill. It focuses on search and rescue in areas hit by floods and landslides, and where there are collapsed buildings and spills of toxic chemicals.
Laos Cambodia Vietnam relations
The three counties have built their trilateral relations beyond the ASEAN framework. Geographic proximity and collective modern history of colonial occupation by the French are significant in their relationship.
On a bilateral level, all three countries enjoy good bilateral and diplomatic relations with each other.
Also Read: National Assembly President of Cambodia visits Vietnam
Additionally, their first-ever trilateral meeting was held on 26 September. Within this, Vietnamese Communist Party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong to host met the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, Thongloun Sisoulith, and Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen.
The meeting signified the importance of the traditional relations, solidarity, and friendship among the “three parties and countries”. During their meeting, all three sides highlighted common issues like COVID-19.
They also exchanged ideas that would prove beneficial for the people of the three countries. Correspondingly, they highlighted cooperation for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region.
Being neighbors, the three countries share enormous opportunities for investments in each other’s economies. In 2018, Vietnam invested 113 projects worth about US$3.6 billion in the border provinces of Cambodia and Laos.
Furthermore, the three countries also cooperate on a number of issues like defense, security, and climate change.
