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Cambodia keen to enhance ties with India

NEW DELHI: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen began an official two-day visit to India on Friday with a call for closer trade and cultural relations.

"There are many fields in which the two counties can have cooperation ranging from culture to agriculture and trade," Hun Sen told reporters after his official welcoming ceremony.

The first Cambodian premier to visit India in more than 20 years, Hun Sen was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the presidential palace and was met by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ahead of official-level talks.

Cambodia and India hope the current visit will give a boost to bilateral annual trade which is currently stagnating at around 14 million dollars.

Hun Sen is accompanied by a high-profile delegation including Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Commerce Minister Cham Prasith and Tourism Minister Veng Sereyvuth.

The two countries, who have shared close ties over several decades, will sign an agreement on a joint commission to promote cooperation in the fields of trade, economy and science and technology.

The two sides will also sign accords on cultural exchanges and tourism, as well as a fourth protocol on cooperation in agriculture.

India is likely to extend a 10-million dollar credit to Cambodia for its agriculture sector during the visit, Indian officials said.

After his visit here, Hun Sen will leave on a two-day visit for Myanmar, the first such trip by a Cambodian premier to the military-ruled nation since Phnom Penh's entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last year. AFP