Washington (FN), May 11 – Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen emphasized that Cambodia really wants to be friend with the US, but the kingdom cannot choose between the US and China.

The premier’s remarks were made during a meeting with former US senator Donald M. Benton in Washington DC on Wednesday.

According to Cambodian delegate minister Kao Kim Hourn, premier Hun Sen and former US senator welcomed each other with friendliness and brotherhood.

In the meeting, premier Hun Sen pointed out that there are two important tasks to be discussed during his visit to Washington, the ASEAN-US issues and the Cambodia-US ties.

Kao Kim Hourn quoted premier Hun Sen as saying, "Cambodia and US have reached an unprecedented level over the past 72 years. Cambodia really wants to be a friend of the US, yet Cambodia can not choose between the US and China. Cambodia has a neutral policy enshrined in the Cambodian Constitution. Therefore, Cambodia wants to befriend all countries, including the US."

Samdech also mentioned the significant growth of trade and investment volume between the two countries.

Regarding ASEAN-US issues, premier Hun Sen also highlighted the important role of ASEAN and the US. Samdech called the current ASEAN-US Special Summit a rare opportunity for ASEAN-US to strengthen and expand trade and investment relations.

The premier also informed the former US senator that he would like to see the ASEAN-US relations upgrade from a strategic partner to a comprehensive strategic partner.

During the meeting, Samdech also expressed his condolences over the recent death of the US senator Douglas John Ericksen.
=FRESH NEWS