Singapore (FN), Jun. 19 – Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed his commitment to working closely with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to further strengthen partnership in order to secure the future of both countries.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke at a banquet hosted for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and the high-level delegation on Tuesday (Jun. 18).
“[Prime Minister] Hun Manet has launched a Pentagonal Strategy to steer Cambodia towards becoming a high-income nation by 2050. Singapore stands ready to support Cambodia's development priorities under this strategy. I am confident that [Samdech Thipadei] Hun Manet and his team will succeed in his goals for Cambodia's next bound of development. I look forward to working closely with him to further strengthen our partnership and to secure our future in an uncertain world,” Lawrence Wong underlined.
“Next year marks 60 years of strong and fruitful relations, a testament to our friendship and partnership. The links between our two countries were forged at the highest levels, going back to the days of Lee Kuan Yew and King Norodom Sihanouk, who enjoyed a close friendship underpinned by mutual respect. In fact, one day after 9 August 1965, the King sent a telegram to Lee stating that Cambodia officially recognised Singapore's independence. Certainly, for all of us in Singapore, we will never forget Cambodia's steadfast support for our sovereignty.”
Prime Minister Wong added, “[Prime Minister] Hun Manet himself is familiar with Singapore. He visited Singapore in July 2018 under the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship Programme. A year later, he visited again as deputy commander in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Army Forces. He has made many good friends during these visits, which have contributed to the strengthening of bilateral ties, political trust, and mutual understanding. Over the decades, our bilateral ties have grown tremendously. It is marked by mutual respect, shared aspirations, and a commitment to regional stability and prosperity.”
He continued, “Trade and investment have been key pillars of our relationship. Singapore was one of the early believers of Cambodia's potential, and today we are one of Cambodia's top investors. Our investments span key sectors like real estate, logistics, agribusiness, and finance. Our economic cooperation has expanded to new areas like renewable energy and carbon credits. Kappel Energy, with its Cambodian partner Royal Group, has received conditional approval to export 1 GW of electricity from Cambodia to Singapore. We assigned an MOU on carbon credits collaboration last year, and we are working on an implementation agreement for the transfer of carbon credits.”
According to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, recently, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos established a working group to facilitate cross-border electricity trade. He added, “This is just one example of how our cooperation is continuing to grow and expand to new areas. Such bilateral and multilateral cooperation between our countries contributes to our respective energy transitions and economic goals. They also form an important component of our shared vision for an integrated ASEAN power grid, which will strengthen energy resilience and security for our region.”
“Education and human capital development have also been central to our relationship. Both our countries attach great importance to investing in our people. Cambodia is now the second largest participant of the Singapore Cooperation Programme, with more than 18,000 Cambodian officials have participated so far. I understand that the feedback from participants has been positive, and certainly on Singapore's part, we are happy to share with them our development experience and to further customise the programmes where necessary, so that they are relevant and useful to your needs.
We also enjoy strong cultural and people-to-people exchanges. These are facilitated by direct flights between Singapore and Siem Reap. Many Singaporeans and foreign tourists have flocked from Singapore to visit the magnificent Angkor Wat and other part of the beautiful country. We now have a special exhibition put up in collaboration with your embassy. It showcases a replica of Angkor Wat, adorned with over 50 species of Cambodian orchids. Earlier today, we were very happy to have a hybrid orchid named in honour of [Prime Minister] Hun Manet.”
“Cambodia and Singapore are at different stages of economic development, but as two countries in Southeast Asia, we face common challenges and we share similar perspectives and interests on many issues. We both have to navigate a more dangerous and troubled geopolitical environment. We both have a stake in making ASEAN a strong and robust grouping in the international arena. I firmly believe that our two countries can benefit tremendously from greater cooperation,” Prime Minister Wong underscored.
Through ASEAN, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed his confidence that Singapore and Cambodia can work together to maintain stability and peace in the region and to ensure continued progress and prosperity for the two countries and peoples.
=FRESH NEWS
