PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and India have signed a financial agreement on the restoration and preservation of paintings at Reach Bo Pagoda in Siem Reap province. This is according to a press release on the results of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Vice President of India on Saturday morning, 12 November 2022.

The two leaders also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on three additional documents: one between the Institute of Technology of Cambodia and the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur) to support the digitalization of Cambodian heritage sites; another between the Ministry of Environment and the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Changes on cooperation in biodiversity conservation and sustainable wildlife management; and a third MoU on cooperation in the field of health and medicine between the Ministry of Health of Cambodia and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India.

The two sides further discussed strengthening relations, and Prime Minister Hun Sen also encouraged India to increase its bilateral trade. Promoting cooperation in demining was particularly highlighted, as Cambodia strives to achieve its goal of a "Mine-Free Cambodia by 2025."

Prime Minister Hun Sen emphasized that India was the first diplomatic country to recognize Cambodia after the country’s liberation from the Khmer Rouge, and recalled his first visit to India in 1981, which opened a new chapter in Cambodia-India relations. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Hun Sen's major role in strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

The Vice President of India informed Prime Minister Hun Sen that India is looking forward to the state visit of His Majesty the King of Cambodia to India next year and the upcoming visit of Lt. Gen. Hun Manet later this year, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and India and to further strengthen bilateral relations.