Modi speaks to Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday had a telephonic conversation with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, an ally of China but who has close political ties with New Delhi, Modi said.

The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to continue the ongoing cooperation for helping each other’s expatriates and facilitating their evacuation, according to an official news release.

Hun Sen, the long-running Prime Minister of Cambodia, was last here in 2018 along with all the leaders of ASEAN nations on the occasion of Republic Day. He was the only ASEAN leader to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi the next day. There have been hardly any COVID cases in Cambodia, which has kept a strict check on incoming passengers at its three major airports.

“India shares deep cultural & historical links with Cambodia, an important partner in our extended neighbourhood. I conveyed India’s commitment to further strengthening its relationship with Cambodia in all areas,” Modi tweeted.

China is majorly involved in infrastructure projects in Cambodia. On the other hand, India has always backed Hun Sen since he took power with support of Vietnam including a period during which China supported his rivals.