Press release by the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy following his meeting with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia HU

Phnom Penh, 3-11-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — I was happy to meet today Prime Minister HUN SEN. We met already during the G20 Summit in Los Cabos last June and I was pleased to accept his invitation to visit Cambodia ahead of the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting which will be held in Laos next week.

I expressed to him and to the people of Cambodia our deep sadness and
condolences for the death of King Norodom Sihanouk. We know that the
whole Country is mourning a King who played a key role in Cambodia’s
history.

I exchanged views with the Prime Minister on a number of bilateral and
regional issues. We confirmed the strong ties between the European Union
and Cambodia and expressed our commitment to develop our relations
further. The European Union is a long-standing partner and believes that these
relations present a large potential for strengthened cooperation.

I commended Prime Minister Hun Sen for the political and socio-economic
transformation achieved in Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge
regime and 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. Although many have been
overcome, challenges remain. We discussed how to ensure that this
transformation results in inclusive and sustainable growth and guarantees
political and social stability. As one of Cambodia’s largest trading and donor
partners, the European Union will continue to support Cambodia actively in
its efforts to alleviate poverty and develop economically, and to encourage
strengthening democracy and rule of law.

We discussed the EU’s concerns on the land management issue. In
commending the personal engagement of the Prime Minister in this regard,
including the moratorium on Economic Land Concessions and the land titling
campaign, I encouraged further action with the aim of meeting those
concerns.

I communicated to the Prime Minister European our strong attachment to the
respect of human rights.

I also encouraged the Government to ensure the widest possible participation
in the parliamentary elections in July 2013 in an open and conductive
environment.

Finally, we discussed the challenges facing the region. We agreed on the
importance of regional cooperation and integration in Asia to strengthen
political stability and economic prosperity. The EU has substantial interests in
Asia not only in terms of trade and investment, but also in terms of security.
In this regard, I thanked the Kingdom of Cambodia for its support for the
EU’s accession to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, to which the
EU attaches great importance. I also recalled that the EU is an active member
of the ASEAN Regional Forum since its creation in 1994, and I expressed to
the Prime Minister – who is currently Chair of the ASEAN – the EU’s
intention to further increase its engagement in the East Asia Regional
Architecture, including through active participation in the East Asia Summit.

I thanked him and the people of Cambodia for their warm welcome and
friendly hospitality and I indicated that I am very much looking forward to
seeing him next week at the ASEM 9 in Laos.

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