Phnom Penh (FN), Jun. 4 – Cambodia and the United States pledged to enhance their bilateral relations, speaking during a courtesy call between Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III on Tuesday (Jun. 4).
Lloyd Austin mentioned that he would work with Samdech Techo and the Royal Government to enhance Cambodia-US relations. He believed that this as a pivotal opportunity for both countries to recalibrate and enhance their attitudes and relations. Despite existing challenges, he believes that joint efforts can lead to significant improvements in their bilateral relationship.
For his part, Samdech Techo agreed with the US Secretary of Defence's intention to restore good relations. Samdech Techo noted that while the relationship between the two countries is not too bad, it has suffered from a lack of mutual trust. To improve this, both sides need to focus on building trust. He also highlighted the issues of insufficient information sharing and misjudgments, which create confusion due to a lack of open discussion and exchange of information.
The Senate president also called on the US to exclude Cambodia from its geopolitical strategy and refrain from using the country as a battleground for competing geopolitical agendas. Samdech Techo affirmed that Cambodia's foreign policy is firmly grounded in legal principles.
Samdech Techo took this opportunity to thank the US for its assistance in various sectors. To further enhance relations, he underlined the need to reduce obstacles and expand cooperation more effectively. He noted that both nations have a history of collaboration through dialogues between their Ministries of Defence and joint military exercises, and this cooperation should continue.
Samdech Techo and Lloyd Austin agreed to continue the dialogue to find new opportunities for the future of Cambodia-US relations. The US Secretary of Defence commended Samdech Techo's firm stance in the field of defence to restore relations, and the US will resume allowing Cambodian students to study at West Point. The US will also engage in military dialogue, joint disaster relief exercises, training in demining and unexploded ordnance, and launch a defence dialogue to resolve differences, building greater confidence for mutual benefits in the future.
The Senate president praised the resumption of the dialogue and stressed that dialogue remains a top priority, especially in the field of defence, to ensure mutual understanding and rebuild trust between the two countries.
Lastly, Lloyd Austin expressed a desire to boost American investment in Cambodia. Samdech Techo expressed his gratitude and added that when economic and trade relations increase, it will support the political sector's resilience. Samdech Techo also hoped Lloyd Austin would encourage more American investors to come to Cambodia.
=FRESH NEWS
