Phnom Penh,
Sept. 22, 2011(PRU) – Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An told the outgoing U.S.
Ambassador that the Royal Government is pleased by the state of bilateral relations
with Washington. Both agreed that relations have expanded since important
figures of the two countries exchanged visits.
Dr. Sok An
welcomed Washington’s move to begin its agricultural education program in Cambodia
in the future.
“This has been a positive result of your term
as ambassador,” Dr. Sok An told Ms. Rodley, who has completed her three-year
posting to Cambodia.
Dr. Sok An
recalled that in September 2010, Prime Minister Hun Sen met with President Obama in New York.
Also
improving ties were the visits to Cambodia by former President Jimmy Carter and
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the Deputy Prime Minister. Former
President Carter, a patron of Habitat for Humanity, visited Cambodia in 2009.
Secretary of State Clinton visited in 2010.
H.E. Dr. Sok
An thanked the U.S. and its legal experts who helped Cambodia to establish the
law for the prosecution of the former Khmer Rouge leaders for their crimes in
the 1970s.
“These are
very important points,” Dr. Sok An said in the meeting.
Ambassador
Rodley expressed her pleasure at Cambodia’s cooperation in various fields,
which has contributed to expand the bilateral relations in the past and will
continue to do so in the future.
Washington
has contributed millions of dollars for the operation of the Extraordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to support the trial of the Khmer Rouge
leaders.
“We have
made progress together. I am happy that the first trial took place during my
work in Cambodia. It was wonderful for me,” Rodley said, referring to the trial
of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, the head of S-21 prison under the Khmer Rouge
regime.
Dr. Sok An
thanked the U.S. for having supported Cambodia in international fora, for
instance by voting in favor of inscribing the Temple of Preah Vihear as a World
Heritage site.
“We are
trying to boost agricultural production by modernizing farming,” Dr. Sok An
said. He added that some companies have put up factories to process rice for
export, and said that any investment in Cambodia’s agricultural sector is a
plus. Farmers comprise 80 percent of Cambodia’s total population.
He welcomed
increased U.S. investment and Washington’s assistance. In the first half of
this year, Cambodia received more than $100 million in investments by U.S.
companies, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Dr. Sok An
said that an estimated $200 million in assistance was provided by the U.S. over
the last three years.
He also
briefed the Ambassador about the situation along the border between Cambodia
and Thailand, which is now much much better than during the term of the
previous Thai government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Dr. Sok An
recalled that the International Court of Justice decided on July 18, 2011 that
both parties should immediately withdraw their military personnel from the provisional
demilitarized zone, and that Thailand should not obstruct Cambodia’s free
access to the Temple of Preah Vihear. Both countries should allow observers
appointed by ASEAN to have access to the provisional demilitarized zone.