PHNOM PENH, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Monday that Cambodian and Vietnamese soldiers will jointly hold a disaster rescue exercise at the border on Wednesday.
The one-day drill will be conducted at a border area in Cambodia's Svay Rieng province and Vietnam's Long An province.
Hun Sen said the joint exercise was designed to strengthen rescue capabilities for both troops in the event of any floods and forest fires along the border.
"As neighboring countries, it's necessary to cooperate with each other, providing mutual help in case of any disasters," he said in a speech during a graduation ceremony of nearly 2,600 students of the University of Health Sciences.
The prime minister said the exercise would increase mutual trust and the peoples along the border of the two countries would benefit from it.
Cambodia is committed to building a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development with all neighboring countries, he said, adding that such a joint exercise will also be conducted with other neighboring countries, Laos and Thailand, in the future.
The Svay Rieng Provincial Administration said in a statement that the exercise would contribute to further promoting cooperation and development along the border of the two countries.
