Cambodian PM heads for Japan, 4 deals planned to be inked

Xinhua | 2013-12-12 

 By Agencies

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen left here on Thursday for a week-long visit to Japan and the two countries are expected to sign four deals including defense cooperation, a senior official said.

One of them is the memorandum on defense cooperation and exchanges between the two countries' defense ministries," said Srey Thamarong, minister attached to the prime minister, at the airport before departure.

In Tokyo, Hun Sen would attend a summit to mark the 40-year relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) and Japan, and the 5th Mekong-Japan Summit on Dec. 13-14, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol, and Finance Minister Aun Porn Moniroth, as well as other members of the government.

Cambodia is one of the ten members of the ASEAN regional bloc.

During the commemorative summit on Saturday, ASEAN and Japanese leaders would discuss cooperation in political-security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation.

"They will also exchange views on regional and international issues including the Korean Peninsula and climate change among others," he said.

The summit is expected to adopt a joint statement on the medium- and long-term vision on friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and Japan under the theme: "Hand in hand, facing regional and global challenges."

After the summits, Hun Sen will pay an official working visit to Japan on Dec. 15-17 and hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

"The two premiers will witness the signing ceremony of four documents. One of them is the memorandum on defense cooperation and exchanges between the two countries' defense ministries," he said, adding that the other three deals are related to the Japanese assistance for Cambodian road and hospital development and restoration of the Angkor heritage site.

Cambodia and Japan are seeking possibilities to upgrade ties to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Hun Sen's trip to Japan came less than a month after Abe visited Cambodia in mid-November and the two leaders witnessed the signings of two documents - one on the training of Cambodian soldiers for the United Nations peacekeeping operations and the other on cooperation in the health sector.