King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni arrived here this afternoon on a three-day visit to India that is expected to further boost ties between the two nations. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
The King will have meetings with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning following which he will pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the King. President Murmu will host a state banquet in his honour in the evening.
The visit marks the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia. This visit by the King of Cambodia is taking place after almost six decades, with the last being that of the current King’s father in 1963.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India and Cambodia enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by civilisational, cultural and economic linkages and deep-rooted people-to-people ties.
The multifaceted relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of defence and security and convergence on regional and global issues.
India actively assists Cambodia in capacity building and human resource development. India has also extended grants and concessional loans for developmental projects.
Conservation and restoration of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Preah Vihar are being carried out under India’s funding.
New Delhi has extended a grant of $1.5 million for the purchase of demining equipment and has offered a line of credit worth $50 million for the procurement of defence equipment from India.
