Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Khuon Sudary. Photo: VNA  

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neak Chandarith, Director of the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) has spotlighted three important strategic messages to the global and regional community following the July 27–29 Vietnam visit by President of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA) Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary.

Talking with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporters based in Phnom Penh, Chandarith said the first and most important message is political stability and confidence in institutional structures. In an increasingly unpredictable and fragmented world marked by geopolitical divisions, the visit made clear that Cambodia–Vietnam friendship is not a relationship of convenience but a strategic pillar systematically entrenched through the two countries’ legislatures.

Leaders from both sides have demonstrated consistent political will to turn the motto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability into concrete results, based on the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, he said.

The second message, Chandarith said, revolves around multilateral coordination and ASEAN centrality. At global and regional forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APF), the visit affirmed both nations’ determination to become “strategic partners”.

As neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia and Vietnam understand the value of maintaining peace and stability and developing a closely interconnected system. Mutual support and aligned diplomatic stances not only serve bilateral interests but also make considerable contributions to preserving ASEAN solidarity, safeguarding its centrality and preventing the region from being pulled into competing great-power blocs. He stressed the need for countries to maintain and strengthen strategic autonomy in the face of external interference.

Finally, he said the visit conveys a message of proactive response to global challenges. The two legislatures cooperate not only in bilateral issues but also in transnational threats such as cybercrime, non-traditional security risks, climate change and green economic development. These efforts, he noted, demonstrate that Cambodia–Vietnam relations are based on friendship, equal cooperation, and a forward-looking vision.

Dr. Chheang Vannarith, Deputy Secretary-General and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Cambodian NA, said mutual understanding and trust between the two countries represent a profound and distinctive political strategy. However, he warned that the two sides still need to continue turning political trust into concrete outcomes for citizens through specific development projects and mutual backing on the global stage.

Vannarith told the VNA that at global and regional forums, leaders of the Vietnamese and Cambodian legislatures regularly hold bilateral meetings and share views on international issues, with a view to advancing peace, stability and common development.

Citing the upcoming bilateral engagement between the two NA leaders in November on the sidelines of the 47th AIPA General Assembly in the Philippines, Vannarith explained that political trust is paramount and maintaining it requires frequent meetings, both as friends and as partners sharing strategic political trust.

He stressed that Cambodia and Vietnam enjoy a high level of political trust of a special nature, but what must now be pursued further is delivering tangible benefits to their people. To achieve more concrete results, he said, the two countries should support each other through a range of joint development projects./.