Cambodian king kicks off first royal visit to Vietnam in a decade
HANOI - King Norodom Sihamoni has kicked off the first visit by a Cambodian monarch to Vietnam in over a decade, aiming to warm historically tense relations between the neighbours.
The 52-year-old monarch is a largely ceremonial figure in his Buddhist kingdom, but both sides have officially hailed his first royal tour since he took the throne in late 2004 as a boost to improving bilateral ties.
Communist Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, ousted Pol Pot's
Khmer Rouge regime and occupied the country for a decade, but today the neighbours publicly hail what they describe as their "good neighbourliness, traditional friendship and long-lasting stability".
Sihamoni during his three-day stay was to meet Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, who visited Phnom Penh earlier this month, President Tran Duc Luong and Communist Party Secretary General Nong Duc Manh.
The king, a former ballet dancer who spent most of his life in Europe, took over the throne from his father Norodom Sihanouk, an often volatile figure who had prickly relations with Hanoi and last went there in 1995.
Like many Cambodian politicians, Sihanouk had exploited popular animosity against Vietnam in his country, where the eastern neighbour is widely resented for encroaching on the ancient Angkor empire and for the 1980s occupation.
Relations have improved since then and took a leap forward last year when Vietnam and Cambodia agreed to finally demarcate their 1,230 kilometre (765 mile) land border, disputed since French colonial days.
"The visit is taking place at a time when outstanding problems between the two countries have been settled," Cambodian ambassador Long Kem was quoted as telling the English-language Vietnam News daily.
"I speak of border issues. The wish of both peoples is to have a border of peace and friendship in order to develop economic and trade relations. Fortunately this problem has been solved."
A Vietnamese diplomat dealing with Cambodian affairs stressed that the king was on a courtesy visit that followed Khai's recent Cambodia trip and that sensitive political issues would be avoided.
"Considering the complicated political situation in Cambodia, the king won't discuss political issues with Vietnamese leaders," the official told AFP. "The border issue is not on the agenda."
Two-way trade has grown by 30 per cent a year and is targeted to hit one billion dollars by 2010. Vietnamese investors have set up textile and other businesses in impoverished Cambodia.
Sihamoni arrived from Laos, where the former
UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) ambassador spent two days meeting leaders and visiting the world heritage site of Luang Prabang.
In Vietnam, the monarch and his entourage were also due to visit temples and the scenic Halong Bay, which is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, before returning home on Saturday.
Agence France Presse - March 16, 2006.
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