Cambodia Holds Memorial Ceremony for Soviet-Era Agricultural Experts, Russian Ambassador Attends

On September 7, 2026, H.E. Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and H.E. Anatoly Borovik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Cambodia, attended a memorial ceremony for 8 agricultural experts from the former Soviet Union and 1 Cambodian expert who lost their lives in Kampong Cham province in 1983 during armed clashes with Khmer Rouge forces. This memorial ceremony highlights the long history of international cooperation in Cambodia's agricultural sector, particularly the role of technical assistance from the Soviet Union in building the country's food production base. At the same time, it carries a strong sense of remembrance for the scars of the civil war that plagued Cambodia from the late 1970s to the early 1980s and for the many lives lost during that period. Following the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia has faced the urgent challenges of national reconstruction and economic development. Throughout this process, agriculture has remained a cornerstone industry supporting the lives of its people and is crucial from a food security perspective. Technical cooperation, dating back to the Soviet era, has a history of contributing to the modernization and productivity improvement of Cambodian agriculture. This memorial ceremony served as an opportunity to reaffirm cooperative relations with the international community for the future, without forgetting the sacrifices of the past. Source: CPP Cambodia