PHNOM PENH: The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Kishida Fumio, discussed and decided together to expand the strategic partnership between Cambodia and Japan to the next level.

The joint decision was made during a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries at the Council of Ministers on the afternoon of 20 March 2022.

Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that he and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed satisfaction with the current relationship between the two countries and announced that they would further enhance their strategic partnership.

The Prime Minister said, "Based on the strong growth and trust between the two countries as well as to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership in 2023, the Prime Minister of Japan and I have agreed to take the bilateral relations under the strategic partnership of the two countries to a new level."

The Prime Minister of Japan, Kishida Fumio, has vowed to take the strategic partnership between Cambodia and Japan to another level with the Prime Minister of Cambodia.

At the same time, he also announced that Japan will strengthen the defense sector with Cambodia to strengthen the order of the Free Sea through the visit of his Self-Defense Forces to Cambodia.

"The addition of bilateral training and cooperation in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief will strengthen the ties between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces," he said.

In 2013, Cambodia and Japan upgraded their partnership to a strategic partnership which resulted in remarkable growth in cooperation between the two countries in all areas, including aviation, human resource development, demining integration, and urban development.