Hun Sen says Cambodia turned former battlefields into development zones
Hun Sen says Cambodia turned former battlefields into development zones
Senate President Hun Sen Monday told Tetsuya Watanabe, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) that Cambodia has transformed former battlefields into markets and development zones, and border areas into regions of strong cooperation.
He said that so far these two strategic goals have been achieved more than 90 percent, and trade between Cambodia and its neighbouring countries is steadily increasing.
Writing in his social media, Mr Hun Sen observed: “For the past 26 years, Cambodia has built and maintained peace, the longest period of peace in the country’s 500-year history. After completely ending the civil war, I set a strategic goal to transform former battlefields into markets and development zones, and to turn border areas into regions of strong cooperation.”
“We have achieved over 90 percent of these two strategic goals so far, and the volume of trade between Cambodia and our neighbouring countries has also increased steadily. These are my own theories and strategies, which in Cambodia are known as ‘Hun Sen’s theories and strategies’.”
During the meeting, Mr Hun Sen welcomed Watanabe and his colleagues, who came to pay their respects and discuss preparations for the upcoming visit of the Senate President to Indonesia, particularly in the context of a keynote lecture on leadership at the ERIA Institute.
During Mr Hun Sen’s forthcoming visit, he will meet with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is also an old friend of the Senate President. He will also visit the ASEAN Secretariat.
“I would like to congratulate the recent inauguration of the ERIA School of Government in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2024, and I hope that this school will achieve its vision to promote leadership and good governance in the ASEAN region,” he added.
On his part, Watanabe said that as the successor to Hidetoshi Nishimura, former President of ERIA, he is working closely with Prime Minister Hun Manet.
He said that they have discussed the partnership between ERIA and Cambodia on research and cooperation in various fields, including human resources, economy, industry, energy, technology, and innovation.
He also collaborated with the ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn to promote ASEAN economic integration, particularly highlighting the role of the ERIA in fostering and sharing good leadership and governance in ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region among young leaders.
“The world should learn from Southeast Asia, especially from Samdech Techo’s skillful leadership, which has been effectively implemented in Cambodia and the region,” Tetsuya was quoted in the post of Mr Hun Sen.
He expressed his desire for ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region to recognise the work that Mr Hun Sen has accomplished in Cambodia and with partners, including neighbouring countries in building the economic foundation and shaping the future of Cambodia and the region.
Source: Khmer Times
