Cambodian PM congratulates on election as President, states will stand by Myanmar in ASEAN

■ Cambodian PM congratulates on election as President, states will stand by Myanmar in ASEAN ■ Efforts to further strengthen cooperation between Cambodia and Myanmar will be made, says Head of State ■ Discussions held on cooperation within ASEAN and strengthening closer ties with regional countries in political, economic, and social sectors Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet has congratulated on the election as President and stated that he will stand by Myanmar in ASEAN. On the afternoon of September 11, during a bilateral meeting held at the meeting hall of the Prime Minister's Office (Peace Palace) in Cambodia, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet made the above remarks to Head of State U. Min Aung Hlaing, who is on a state visit to Cambodia at the invitation of His Majesty the King of Cambodia. The Cambodian Prime Minister warmly welcomed the delegation led by His Excellency the President, noting that the President had visited Cambodia once in 2017. He stated that Myanmar is a reliable country for Cambodia and expressed gratitude for Myanmar's assistance when Cambodia assumed the ASEAN chairmanship. He also recalled that Prime Minister Hun Sen had visited Myanmar when Myanmar held the ASEAN chairmanship, and expressed confidence that trade, investment, and other sectors could be further enhanced through discussions in today's meeting. The Cambodian Prime Minister congratulated on the successful holding of the election, the election as President, domestic progress, and peace efforts. He stated that they would stand by and support Myanmar within ASEAN and agreed to expedite the implementation of the JCBC. He added that detailed discussions on bilateral cooperation could be held at this meeting and that preparations for the election would be made next year, with the election scheduled to be held in 2028. Regarding online gambling, he stated that their country would address the issue, acknowledging that their country is being exploited and facing international accusations. He mentioned that government officials have worked with the international community to combat online fraud and have fought it through special operations under the direct command of the Minister of Home Affairs. He expressed gratitude for Myanmar sending a delegation to the meeting on eradicating online fraud held in Cambodia in 2024 and stated that they have been able to sign a memorandum of understanding on people-to-people exchanges and a memorandum of understanding on information exchange, further enhancing bilateral cooperation in the future. In terms of bilateral relations, he stated that they would always stand by Myanmar among ASEAN countries and would support Myanmar in achieving stability and peace. He acknowledged that Cambodia would not interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs and that Myanmar must proceed according to its own policies and actions. Subsequently, the Head of State responded by expressing pride in witnessing Cambodia's economic development and the systematic and modern progress of Phnom Penh. He expressed deep gratitude for the humanitarian spirit and friendly gesture shown by the people of Myanmar in providing relief supplies and humanitarian assistance for rescue and rehabilitation efforts after the great earthquake in Mandalay in 2025. He also conveyed his heartfelt thanks for the special envoy sent by Cambodia to his oath-taking ceremony as Head of State and for the congratulatory message received from His Excellency regarding his election as Head of State. Furthermore, he acknowledged and expressed pleasure that the Cambodian Election Commission sent representatives as observers for the first and third phases of Myanmar's elections. He thanked Cambodia for consistently supporting Myanmar's positive developments and reiterated his firm commitment to strive to further strengthen and solidify the cooperation between Cambodia and Myanmar during his tenure as Head of State. Following this, discussions were held on the progress of friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries, the status of mutual support on the international stage, and the progress of cooperation in various sectors including defense and security, trade, production, investment, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME), tourism, religious and cultural affairs, education, and employment opportunities. In addition, discussions covered the effective efforts by the Myanmar government to eradicate online financial fraud and online gambling, the efforts by the Cambodian government to eradicate online financial fraud and online gambling, the ongoing developments within Myanmar, the excellent cooperation within ASEAN, and the strengthening of closer ties with regional countries in political, economic, and social sectors. They also discussed Myanmar's commitment to valuing Cambodia's friendly relations and continuing to act as a reliable good neighbor to Cambodia. Accompanying the Head of State at the meeting were members of the delegation on the trip.