Press Statement by PM Modi with PM Hum Sen of Cambodia

You Excellency, Prime Minister of the Cambodian Empire Hun Sen, Respected members of the delegation, Distinguished guests, Friends from Media, Ladies & Gentlemen, Greetings! It is a great pleasure for me to once again welcome Prime Minister Hun Sen. This state visit of his is taking place after a gap of ten years. Even though Prime Minister you yourself are well aware of India and India with you, I am sure that during this visit you have got an opportunity to closely witness its economic progress and social changes. Two days ago during the ASEAN INDIA Commemorative Summit ASEAN-India cooperation was discussed in detail. Leaders of 10 ASEAN countries and India made important decisions so that in the near future the cooperation of India and ASEAN scales new heights. In this regard Prime Minister Hun Sen has honored us by his acceptance of my invitation and his gracious presence during the summit. Not only this, you have made valuable contributions in the discussions and outcomes of the summit. I heartily thank you for that. Friends, Ancient historic relations of India and Cambodia became even more intense in the second half of the last century when India stood shoulder to shoulder with its old friend and its citizens during the political changes in Cambodia. Prime Minister Hun Sen agree that according to the contemporary requirements today we need to further deepen our relations in all areas. India is not only willing but it is committed to extend its partnership with Cambodia in all the areas like economic, social development, capacity building, culture, trade, tourism and people to people contacts. Our shared heritage is a very important part of our cultural relations. Restoration of the historic Angkor Wat Temple built in the 12th century is an example of this cooperation. India is happy that it could contribute to the preservation and development of this cultural heritage of Cambodia. Our languages have also evolved from Pali and Sanskrit. It is a matter of great pleasure that the roots of our historical and cultural relations are very deep therefore there are great possibilities to promote mutual tourism. Friends, It is a matter of great happiness for India that our friend Cambodia is making rapid economic progress and has been growing annually at 7% in the last two decades. India is the fastest growing large economy in the world. Since we have similar values and cultural ethos, we can have a natural synergy in enhancing trade between our two countries. Liberal economic policies of Cambodia and establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community provides a good opportunity for Indian investments in Cambodia particularly in areas such as health, medicine, information technology, agriculture, automobile and auto parts, textile, etc. I am confident that in the coming years our bilateral trade will further increase and more and more investors and traders from India will be able to make a profitable presence in Cambodia. Friends, Development co-operation is an important part of India’s relationship with Cambodia. India’s commitment as an important partner towards Cambodia’s social and economic development has always been there and it will continue to be so. We have proposed several more lines of credit for projects according to the requirements of government of Cambodia particularly in the areas of health, connectivity, digital connectivity. Every year India is implementing 5 quick impact projects in Cambodia. We have decided to increase the number of these projects annually from 5 to 10. We have also established a Project Development Fund of 500 crore rupees. This fund can be utilized for expanding industry and business and also to make the supply chain cost effective. We are setting up a Center of Excellence in IT and IT enabled services in Cambodia. For more than five decades India has been an active partner of Cambodia in the Indian Technology & Economic Cooperation Program. More than 1400 Cambodian citizens have received training in capacity building through this program. We will continue this program in the future also and we are ready to expand it further according to the requirements of Cambodia. Friends, There is a deep cooperation between our two countries on the International Forum and we have reliable relationship on many regional and international forums. Enhancing existing synergies India and Cambodia will continue to support each other on international forums. Finally, I thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for his visit to India as an integral friend and a respected guest of India. I hope that his stay in India will be pleasant and memorable. I also assure that India is ready to extend even more close cooperation with Cambodia in the near future so that our close and traditionally deep relations with Cambodia and its citizens can be strengthened further.