Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (R) meets with Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 9, 2020. Cambodia and Laos pledged on Sunday to further strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership for mutual benefit, a senior Cambodian official said. (Photo by Li Lay/Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Laos pledged on Sunday to further strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership for mutual benefit, a senior Cambodian official said.
The pledge was made during a meeting here between Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and visiting Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit, said Eang Sophalleth, a personal assistant to the prime minister.
He said both leaders agreed to further promote cooperation in trade, investment, tourism and security along the border of the two countries.
"Also, Samdech Techo said that local authorities and soldiers along the border played a very important role in building closer ties between the two countries," Sophalleth said, referring to Hun Sen's official title.
Trade and investment volumes between the two ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members are still relatively small. On the tourism side, Laos is the fourth largest source of tourists to Cambodia with 363,951 Laotians traveling to Cambodia in 2019, down 14.6 percent year-on-year, according to tourism data of Cambodia.
Bounnhang started a two-day state visit to Cambodia on Sunday morning.
