PHNOM PENH, 9 Dec. 2013 – H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An and the outgoing UK Ambassador H.E. Mark Gooding met and exchanged views on Monday on Cambodia’s success in the protection, preservation and sustainable development of Angkor. Both sides were also pleased with their bilateral cooperation in tourism and trade.
The Deputy Prime Minister also requested the United Kingdom to continue to support the national side of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) for the Khmer Rouge trials.
Dr. Sok An, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, said that the joint efforts by Cambodia’s government and the donors in protecting, preserving and sustainably developing Angkor since 1992 have satisfied the international community, which pledged more support for restoration of the ancient temples.
Cambodia’s preservation and sustainable development are contributing to attract more visitors, including British tourists, to visit the Kingdom of Wonder, which has more than 1,000 historic temples.
Dr. Sok An, who is also President of the APSARA National Authority for Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap, told the Ambassador of the success of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), established in 1992 and co-chaired by Japan and France.
Last week in Siem Reap province Cambodia hosted the 20th plenary session of ICC-Angkor and the 22nd ICC-Angkor technical session.
The Third Intergovernmental Conference on Angkor was also held in Siem Reap, presided over by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.
Aurélie Filippetti, Minister of Culture and Communication of France, and deputy foreign minister of Japan, Yasumasa Nagamine, also participated along with archaeologists and cultural experts from more than 30 countries.
The third conference addressed fundamental aspects for the future of Angkor: how to better publicize the site based on new technologies, how best to meet the requirements of environmental protection and how to take better account of the human presence in these places, whether residents or visitors.
“We have never had any conflict of ideas within the framework of ICC-Angkor”, Dr. Sok An said of the smooth process of the ICC-Angkor projects.
Since the establishment of the APSARA Authority in 1995, more than US$250 million has been spent for 60 projects to restore the temples, some of which have been completed and some of which are being implemented now with support from 15 countries and 28 international organisations.
“LIVING PROJECT OF ICC-ANGKOR”
Speaking at a press conference in Siem Reap after the conclusion of the Third Inter-Governmental Conference on Thursday in Siem Reap, H.E. Dr. Sok An called the ICC-Angkor a “living project” that will continue in the long run.
“The project has been in place for 20 years and we still receive support from donors”, Dr. Sok An told Ambassador Gooding who is leaving on Saturday after two and half years working in Cambodia.
H.E. Dr. Sok An said that India, New Zealand, Japan, France and UNWTO announced last week their continued commitment to the ICC-Angkor projects. “This is a very big success”, he said.
Ambassador Gooding said he shared the view of the Deputy Prime Minister about Cambodia’s preservation and sustainable development of Angkor, and that contributes to attract more British tourists to Cambodia.
TOURISM
The Tourism Ministry reported that tourists from United Kingdom increased to 110,182 in 2012, from 104,052 in 2011. In the first 10 months of this year, 98,976 British tourists visited Cambodia.
Cambodia received 3.58 million tourists last year, and that figure is expected to increase to 4.2 million this year. Siem Reap province, the home of Angkor, is the country’s biggest tourist destination.
The Kingdom expects to receive 4.5 million tourists by 2015 and 7 million in 2020, Dr. Sok An said at the opening ceremony of the Sea Festival in Kep on Saturday.
CAMBODIA- UK TRADE
The Ambassador was pleased with bilateral relations that contributed to boost the two-way trade, which reached $1 billion in 2012. Britain is looking to promote trade and investment in Cambodia.
Gooding said that Cambodia- UK trade envoy plans to visit Cambodia.
In June this year, Lord Green, Britain’s Minister for Trade and Investment, was pleased with the British business community that is operating in Cambodia. His visit was to promote opportunities for British businesses in Cambodia. The UK Trade & Investment Office opened in the British Embassy in Phnom Penh in January 2013.
“Lord Green’s decision to visit Cambodia during his mission to South East Asia underlines the strong links and the potential for more trade between our two countries”, said the press release of the British Embassy.
SEEKING UK SUPPORT FOR THE ECCC
Dr. Sok An, who is also Chairman of the Royal Government Task Force on the Khmer Rouge Trials, on Monday sought further UK contributions to the national side of the Court. “The court is like a plane; it cannot fly with one wing”, he said.
The UK has contributed $10 million to the Court, of which $1.5 million went to the national side. The remains went to the international side of the Court.
Ambassador Gooding welcomed the joint mission of Cambodia and the U.N. that visited capitals of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in August in an effort to raise funds for the Court.
Both sides shared the view that it is time “to talk about completion strategy of the Court”.
Since its establishment in 2006, the ECCC has spent US$187 million. Cambodia and the U.N. have continued to seek new donors and contributions from existing friends of the ECCC to support completion of its mission of providing justice to nearly 2 million victims who died under the Democratic Kampuchea regime from 17 April 1975 to 6 January 1979.
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