India's ITEC Day Celebrated, Strengthening Cambodia-India Cooperation

On September 15, 2026, the 'India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day' was celebrated in Cambodia, co-chaired by His Excellency Vanlalvawna Bawitlung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and His Excellency Sok Soken, Minister of the Ministry of Interior. The event, held at the Sunway Hotel Phnom Penh, was attended by His Excellency Sri Thamrong, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister for Special Missions, Her Excellency Ath Sophea, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, along with leaders, former ITEC trainees, and numerous distinguished guests. Minister Sok Soken expressed his gratitude to the Embassy of the Republic of India for organizing this meaningful event, aimed at further strengthening the long-standing and close friendship, people-to-people ties, and cooperation between the two countries. He highlighted that under the far-sighted and pragmatic leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet, the Royal Government of Cambodia is implementing the 'Pentagon Strategy – Phase 1'. In this context, the Ministry of Interior has launched and is implementing the 'P4J4' strategy, coupled with training officials through the National Institute of Interior. Minister Sok Soken also recalled the profound words of the late Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdey Sok An, former Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of India, who stated, 'Human resource development is a long-term investment that requires at least 30 years to build the pillars of the nation,' emphasizing its enduring value today. Furthermore, the Minister highly commended the Indian side for its active participation in preserving Cambodia's cultural heritage. He expressed regret over the significant damage caused to Preah Vihear Temple by past illegal incursions from Thailand, and expressed hope that India would continue to play an active role in protecting and preserving this World Heritage site. In conclusion, the Minister underscored that the ITEC program not only contributes to building the capacity of Cambodian civil servants across various sectors and fosters strong friendships between the peoples of both nations but also serves as a valuable platform for cultivating new skills to meet Cambodia's future development needs. He expressed strong confidence that cooperation through the ITEC program and other multilateral frameworks, such as ASEAN and the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, will continue to strengthen institutions and develop human resources, laying a robust foundation for Cambodia's development and ensuring the perpetual growth of friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and India.