The US and Cambodia are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties this year. [Reuters]Friday, May 14, 2010
Liam Cochrane, Phnom Penh
ABC Radio Australia
A senior United States diplomat in Cambodia says relations between the two countries have deepened in the past few years, with military aid resuming, humanitarian aid flowing, and oil and mineral investments looming.
The US and Cambodia are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties this year - a relationship which suffered through the secret bombings of the 1960s and 70s and the brutal years of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Ted Allegra, Charge d'Affaires US Embassy in Phnom Penh, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program the relationship between the two countries has matured since relations were restored in 1991.
"Sixty years in any relationship is a long time and it's no different for the US-Cambodia relations and on the occasion of the 60th anniversary this year, I mean it's an appropriate time we believe to not only look back and to see where we began and how it developed through good and through difficult parts and just as importantly, to look to the future and see where the relationship can proceed," he said.
However, relations between the two countries were challenged recently, with the US voicing its displeasure over a decision by Cambodia to deport a group of Uighurs to China.
Last December, Cambodia deported the 20 Uighurs even though they were seeking UN refugee status and said they would face torture if returned.
The United States, which had warned against the deportation, said it was calling off a shipment of 200 trucks and trailers - but within days of the expulsions, China had awarded Cambodia more than $US1 billion in economic aid.
Both countries denied any link to the Uighur expulsions..
Mr Allegra says Washington made its disappointment known over the deportations, but dismisses concerns the incident, and the subsequent reaction from Cambodia and China is part of a diplomatic game in the region.
"For our perspective it is not a game, it is not a competition," he said.
"Our relationship with Cambodia is certainly based upon what we believe are to be mutual interest for both the United States and Cambodia. We are confident that our work and our diplomacy and our assistance reflects Cambodia's own desires and pronouncements for its futures and specifically relates to the prime minister's rectangular strategy for the future of Cambodia."
The US and Cambodia are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties this year - a relationship which suffered through the secret bombings of the 1960s and 70s and the brutal years of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Ted Allegra, Charge d'Affaires US Embassy in Phnom Penh, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program the relationship between the two countries has matured since relations were restored in 1991.
"Sixty years in any relationship is a long time and it's no different for the US-Cambodia relations and on the occasion of the 60th anniversary this year, I mean it's an appropriate time we believe to not only look back and to see where we began and how it developed through good and through difficult parts and just as importantly, to look to the future and see where the relationship can proceed," he said.
However, relations between the two countries were challenged recently, with the US voicing its displeasure over a decision by Cambodia to deport a group of Uighurs to China.
Last December, Cambodia deported the 20 Uighurs even though they were seeking UN refugee status and said they would face torture if returned.
The United States, which had warned against the deportation, said it was calling off a shipment of 200 trucks and trailers - but within days of the expulsions, China had awarded Cambodia more than $US1 billion in economic aid.
Both countries denied any link to the Uighur expulsions..
Mr Allegra says Washington made its disappointment known over the deportations, but dismisses concerns the incident, and the subsequent reaction from Cambodia and China is part of a diplomatic game in the region.
"For our perspective it is not a game, it is not a competition," he said.
"Our relationship with Cambodia is certainly based upon what we believe are to be mutual interest for both the United States and Cambodia. We are confident that our work and our diplomacy and our assistance reflects Cambodia's own desires and pronouncements for its futures and specifically relates to the prime minister's rectangular strategy for the future of Cambodia."
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