National Assembly (NA) president Khuon Sudary (centre) and Indian ambassador to Cambodia Devyani Khobragade (on her right) met for talks at the NA headquarters in Phnom Penh on November 7. Hong Menea
The Cambodia National Assembly (NA) and India have reiterated their commitment to further strengthening their growing friendship, close cooperation and the deep roots of the shared heritage of history, religion, culture and civilisation between the two countries.
The pledge was made as Indian ambassador Devyani Khobragade paid a November 7 courtesy call on NA president Khuon Sudary.
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NA cabinet chief Keo Piseth told the media that Sudary had offered the ambassador a warm welcome, and congratulated her on her valuable contribution to strengthening long-term bilateral relations between Cambodia and India.
“The NA president thanked India for always assisting Cambodia in times of emergency, including through the provision of vaccines, finger dye and as observers for the 2023 national election,” he said.
Sudary also discussed the strong foundation for the two nations’ warm relations and close cooperation, noting that it is growing thanks to their deeply established common roots.
According to Piseth, during the meeting, the Indian ambassador congratulated Sudary on her appointment as NA president, calling it a “source of pride for Cambodia and the world” to have a woman as parliamentary leader.
The two sides also discussed economic relations.
“Although the size of the Cambodian-Indian economy remains relatively small, the volume of economic cooperation is increasing steadily. During the meeting, they also broached on the establishment of direct flights between India and Cambodia, which will begin soon,” said Piseth.
Sudary requested that the ambassador work to encourage more Indian tourists and investors to visit and invest in Cambodia. She also suggested that India provide more information technology training for Cambodian students, as well as NA officials.
Khobragade pledged to continue to strengthen cooperation with the NA – especially its many women parliamentarians – on capacity building and the empowerment of girls and women.
“At the same time, India will continue to cooperate with Cambodia on training and exchange visits in areas including technology, agriculture, education, culture, energy, and the preservation of ancient temples,” said Piseth.
“The ambassador also extended an invitation to Sudary to visit India at an appropriate time in the future, an offer which was graciously accepted,” he added.
