US ambassador meets with officials

US ambassador meets with officials

US ambassador Patrick Murphy on Tuesday met with National Assembly president Heng Samrin to discuss bilateral relations.

A Facebook post by the National Assembly said the meeting aimed to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two nations.

It said Murphy highly valued the work of the National Assembly, which represents the people.

Murphy told Samrin that some aspects of governing systems in Cambodia were similar to the US, like the separation of power in a democracy.

He also highlighted that the two countries had a lot of joint achievements. This year – the 70th anniversary of the establishment of US-Cambodia diplomatic relations – is a good chance for the two countries to strengthen cooperation, he said.

After meeting with Samrin, Murphy said on his Twitter: “[I] Met National Assembly President Heng Samrin to discuss #Cambodia’s legislative process and efforts to improve our bilateral relationships.

“Noted the constitution’s commitment to a multi-party system and the importance of checks & balances in a high-functioning democracy”.

Samrin said he considered Murphy’s mission vital to diplomatic relations. “[We] applaud all the progress that is born from the effort to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. This brings a lot of benefit to our countries,” Samrin said.

Murphy also met with Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng afterwards. A City Hall Facebook post said they discussed work involving trade, investment, tourism and culture.

City Hall said the goal was to ensure more investors are attracted to the Kingdom as it supports all local and international investment projects.

“I enjoyed seeing Phnom Penh Governor Khoung again after our AmCam70 launch event last month. Hoping to get US companies engaged in some of the “Smart Cities” plans for the city as it copes with growing pains,” Murphy wrote on Twitter after the meeting.

Source: Phnom Penh Post